It's Complicated
by SillyUsagi
Summary: Chat Noir wants to confess to Ladybug. Marinette wants to confess to Adrien. Somehow, things just keep spiraling out of control instead. (Or: these two sillies are ridiculously cute and I couldn't resist)
1. Grand Gesture

**A/N:** Sooooo, I somehow accidentally made half of Adrien's and Marinette's class LadyNoir shippers. WHOOPS. Hahaha. Maybe they can join us in LadyNoir Hell. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Monday morning, Adrien walked into the classroom ready to fall over from exhaustion. Sunday night had been full of running around and stopping yet another rogue akuma, and he wasn't all that sure that he'd be able to keep himself awake through the entire class. He plopped down into his seat, restraining himself from putting his head down on the desk and just falling back asleep.

"They're so cool!" Alya was saying excitedly, and half the class listened with rapt attention. "Just when it looked like she was trapped, Chat Noir dove for her and knocked her out of the way! And then, at the very end, Ladybug _swooped_ down and saved the day!"

Despite his grogginess, Adrien couldn't help a small smile. If he was being honestly, it _had_ been pretty cool. And, judging from their excited murmurs, the rest of the class agreed.

Forcing himself a little further into the realm of awake, Adrien turned around in his seat to face Alya. Her friend Marinette, he was surprised to see, looked just as exhausted as he did. She was sitting so low in her chair that she may as well have been lying down, eyes half closed as she listened to Alya gush.

Adrien was just considering saying that he sympathized with her when Alya added, "Everyone on my blog went _crazy_ last night when Chat Noir rescued Ladybug! You know, I've got a couple thousand followers now, and all they can talk about is how romantic it was!"

Adrien sat up straighter. Romantic? Well, he _did_ think he was rather dashing. At least when he was Chat Noir, of course, and not boring Adrien Agreste.

"Everyone wants to know what their relationship is!" Alya added excitedly. "I mean, they're always fighting together, but we never hear about it."

"That's probably because there's _nothing_ going on to talk about," Marinette added grumpily, her exhaustion making her sound irritated. Adrien frowned, ready to defend Chat Noir with … something. But Alya was even quicker to jump to the rescue.

"Don't be ridiculous!" scoffed, shooting Marinette a look. "Chat Noir is _so cool_! If they're not already together, it's probably only a matter of time before it happens!"

 _Thank you, Alya!_ Adrien thought triumphantly. At least, he really hoped he'd be so lucky.

"Wouldn't it be _so romantic_ if he asked her after one of their battles?" Rose asked, a dreamy look on her face.

"Right!?" Alya asked excitedly. "That's what my followers were saying! If he does, I want to film the whole thing!"

"You really think she'd like that?" Adrien asked, glancing up as Nino strode into the room and sat down next to him.

Marinette rolled her eyes, but Alya quickly leaned across the desk toward Adrien, stealing his attention. "What girl could say no!?" she asked excitedly. "An epic battle of good vs. evil! A daring rescue and defeat! And then, at the very climax, he swoops her off her feet and professes his love! It would be beautiful!"

Half of the girls nodded in agreement, and even Chloe added, " _I_ wouldn't mind Chat Noir sweeping _me_ off my feet."

But then the bell rang and the teacher walked in, cutting the conversation short. As the teacher started the class Adrien pulled out his notebook, but his thoughts were firmly glued to Ladybug.

Would that work with Ladybug? She always skillfully shot him down, but maybe that was because she wasn't taking him seriously. Perhaps a big, romantic gesture would make her realize just how much he really loved her.

The thought was a bit terrifying. When he was Chat Noir, everything came so easily: the feline grace and smooth talk. But even then, trying to work up the courage to tell Ladybug about his feelings was extremely difficult. He had been dead set on telling her on Valentine's Day, but even Chat Noir hadn't been able to get it out.

Still, if it would help Ladybug to see just how serious he was, maybe Alya was right…

"Healing Light!"

Adrien stood from his crouch on the rooftop, looking over at Ladybug. A storm of hearts descended on the city, righting everything the akuma had wronged.

Deftly Ladybug yanked her yoyo back into her hand, smiling in satisfaction as the young man in front of them slowly came around.

"Where am I?" he asked, looking about incredulously. Ladybug helped him to his feet, and the man quickly left via the door on the roof.

Adrien swaggered over to her, holding out his fist. With a smirk that yanked his heart, Ladybug bumped him back.

"THAT WAS AMAZING!" Alya yelled excitedly, hurrying forward with her cell phone.

"Oh! Uh… thanks," Ladybug said, looking a little uncomfortable. "But you should really be more careful—what if you get hurt always sticking this close?"

"And let down your adoring public?" Alya asked, horrified. "I think not! A journalist has to take risks. I've got this hooked up as a live-screen—there are thousands of people watching _right now_!"

Adrien's ears perked up at that, quickly turning to Alya. "This is a livestream?" he asked, glancing curiously at the phone.

"You betcha!" she said excitedly. " _Everyone_ wants to know what you two are up to!"

Adrien fell into an easy grin, winking at the camera. Beside him, he heard Ladybug make a disgusted noise.

"Ah, Ladybug!" he said, dramatically holding a hand to his wounded heart as he turned to face her. "We must not leave our public hanging!"

Ladybug rolled her eyes in return, and Adrien felt his heart spike. This was the perfect chance for a grand, romantic gesture, wasn't it? He had waited while the mostly quiet week had passed by, impatiently hoping for another akuma to surface. Alya—and her camera—were here, and who even _knew_ how long he'd have to wait until the next akuma attack. Taking a deep breath, Adrien steadied himself. He was Chat Noir. He could do this.

Suddely Ladybug's Miraculous beeped. She quickly raised a hand to her ears, though not before he caught a glimpse of her final polka dot blinking dangerously.

"Alright, time to go," she said, taking a step back.

"Wait!" Adrien called quickly, reaching out toward her. To his relief Ladybug paused, although she continued to glance uneasily between him and Alya.

"What's wrong?" she asked him anxiously.

"I…" _Get it together! You're Chat Noir. You can do this._ Adrien snatched her hand and went down on one knee before her. He could hear Alya gasp somewhere behind him, although Ladybug took another half step back.

"Ladybug, I love you!" he said quickly, tightening his grip on her hand. "Please, go out with me?"

Ladybug's Miraculous beeped again, and she frantically looked between Adrien, his hand, and Alya. "What, Chat, _now_? Are you serious?" she asked, incredulous.

Heart sinking, Adrien brought his other hand up beseechingly. "Yes, completely!"

Ladybug took another step back, this time tugging her hand from both of his. He felt his stomach slip away into oblivion as she frowned anxiously. "No, Chat, I'm sorry. I've got to go!"

She turned to leave, and Adrien quickly stood up. "Wait, Ladybug, please!"

"I can't," she told him, each step backward becoming a little faster.

"But why?" he asked, taking a step toward her.

"Because I already like someone else!" she snapped back, finally reaching the edge of the roof. "Now I'm sorry, Chat, but I have to _go_!"

And then she was swinging away across the roof tops, leaving him behind.

"Chat Noir…"

Startled, Adrien turned around to see Alya watching him, phone still held in her hands. With horror, he realized that she had just filmed the whole thing. Live. To thousands of people.

Alya's phone beeped as she stopped recording and put it into her pocket. She shot him a look of pity, and he quickly turned away.

"I'm sorry. I have to go."

That was a lie, and she probably knew it—he hadn't used his Cataclysm tonight. Adrien didn't care. He quickly bounded away, trying unsuccessfully to stop Ladybug's words from repeating in his head.

* * *

Aaaah, so, I always seem to do this to myself. It's NaNoWriMo, and I spent Nov. 1st writing up a 6,000 word summary for a brand new LadyNoir fanfic. And then the next day proceed to write it. Someone please stop me. I'll just tell you now, I'm not sure when I'll be able to update. TECHNICALLY NaNo is supposed to take precedence (although we can ALL see exactly how well THAT'S working out).

As for the story itself… Poor Adrien! Honestly, I feel like he acts really cool when he's Chat Noir, but he still is really unsure of himself when it comes to trying to win over Ladybug. Is the real Adrien smart enough not to make a grand romantic gesture in front of thousands of people? Yes, probably. But I also think he's the kind of guy who would overthink all of this, and possibly even take bad romantic advice hoping it would work. (I mean, that's kind of how I view his flirting. He probably thinks, "Girls like flirting, right? Maybe this will work!")

I've seen a lot of attention on how Marinette becomes more confident as Ladybug. But for me, the big moment was when it hit me that Adrien also becomes a lot more confident as Chat Noir. About 75% of our view of Adrien, especially in the beginning of the show, comes from Marinette's eyes. And obviously Marinette thinks Adrien is so cool and can totally do no wrong. And so in the beginning I felt like Adrien was already confident. Perhaps a bit quiet and reserved, but still confident. But the more I watched, the more I realized that compared to Chat Noir, he actually comes across as really fragile. Most of what he says is just kind of surface level stuff. "That looks nice," "How are you?", etc. It's only with Nino and Plagg that we get to see more of what's really going on in his life.

Anyway, I wanted to write a fic that explores both Marinette's AND Adrien's insecurities, and how they use their alter egos as a confidence booster—sometimes not in the best ways.

FYI, as of now this story takes place sometime after Episode 11 (given that that's what's out so far). Obviously as I work on this some things in canon may change. If need be, I'll update if my story is going to veer from canon at all.


	2. Angry Bug

He was so totally and completely _infuriating_!

Marinette wanted to scream. How could Chat Noir have done that to her? Normally, she could put up with his little flirtations. They could be annoying, but that was just _Chat_. She could roll her eyes at him and still be kick-butt partners. But this? This was taking it too far! She had seen the way he _winked_ at the camera. He was… was… pandering!

It was one thing for him to tease her a little while they were working. She knew him well enough not to take it too seriously. It was another thing _entirely_ for him to make a complete fool out of her while Alya had that darned live-stream running!

"Arrrgh!" she shouted, startling some pigeons on the road. One of the shopkeepers she passed gave her an odd look, and Marinette hurried up as her cheeks tinged pink.

She had spent the entire night out of her mind with frustration, before finally fitfully falling asleep far past a respectable time. But sleep had done little to temper her anger, and even the bright morning sunshine couldn't lighten her mood.

 _It's not so bad_ , Tikki had tried to tell her. _I'm sure it'll be no big deal_.

But Marinette was far less certain. Alya had said that there were thousands of people watching. And he had _known_!

The worst part was, she still hadn't been able to figure out _why_ he had done it. Of course, he was always so full of himself and his feline wiles. He was probably showing off for his beloved fans. He probably just wanted to seem ~romantic~ just like the girls in class had been talking about.

But in that case, why not woo Alya and spare her the humiliation!? Stupid, stupid cat!

Marinette's black cloud followed her during the rest of her walk to school, as she threw her books into her locker, and then as she made her way to the classroom. Grumpily she plopped down into her seat next to Alya, who was turned around talking with Rose, Alix, and Max.

"It was absolutely _horrible_ ," Alya was saying earnestly. "I couldn't believe it—to be treated so coldly."

"And in front of so many people," Alix added, shaking her head.

Oh _god_ , they were talking about her, weren't they? Chat had probably made her into a laughing stock. A sick feeling in her stomach, Marinette turned to face them. "What're you guys talking about?"

"Last night, of course!" Alya said, looking surprised. "Weren't you watching my blog? Ladybug and Chat Noir were fighting another akuma."

"Oh..." Marinette said uneasily. "Yeah, I saw it."

"You guys talking about last night?" Nino asked as he walked into the classroom, followed by Adrien who was looking unbearably handsome despite also looking exhausted. Nino walked over to stand by Alya, though Adrien went straight to his seat. Already starting to feel flustered—why was he so perfect?—Marinette quickly turned back to everyone else.

"I couldn't believe how terrible she was!" Rose said.

Marinette opened her mouth to agree, then paused, looking at Rose in confusion. "Wait, 'she'?"

"I know!" Nino added. "To turn him down like that in front of so many people! And she wasn't even nice about it."

Marinette felt her jaw drop, and she quickly looked between Rose and Nino. What were they _talking_ about? Had they been watching the right blogcast? The one where Chat Noir had _put her on the spot_ in front of _thousands of people_ and then proceeded to make a _complete and utter fool of her_? Because _that_ was what had happened last night.

"Right?" Alix added. "I couldn't believe how mean she was! She had seemed so nice when she gave me back my watch..."

"Mean?" Marinette squeaked indignantly, looking about in horror as the rest of her friends nodded.

"Well, yeah," Nino said. "He bared his heart before her and she basically took it, threw it to the ground, and stomped it to pieces."

"Poor Chat Noir," Rose added quietly.

"But..!" Marinette said, anger rising. "But what about Ladybug!? He put her on the spot!"

"She didn't have to be so mean about it," Alix said, shaking her head. "She turned him down, then proceeded to shove it in his face that she likes someone else, and then just ran off before he could say anything else."

"But wasn't her transformation about to wear off?" Marinette pressed. She couldn't believe them—why were they defending Chat? "Why _wouldn't_ she run off?"

"In that case, she should have told him that," Nino said.

"No," Marinette said, a little louder than she meant to. "In _that_ case, _he_ should have picked a better time!"

She glanced around, cheeks glowing red as she realized that everyone was frowning at her.

"Bad timing or not, Ladybug did not let the poor guy off easy," Nino said.

"Yeah, if _Chat Noir_ gets turned down, what can the rest of us normal guys even hope for?" Max asked dejectedly.

"Can you imagine how awful he must be feeling?" Rose asked with a worried frown. "So many people are talking about it, and he probably just has to sit there and listen as everyone discusses his rejection."

Somehow, Marinette restrained herself from spluttering in disbelief—barely. How awful it was to be _Chat_? What about how awful it was to be _her_!? She had to sit here and listen to her friends bash her actions, and she couldn't even own up to them!

Alya caught Marinette's frown and shook her head. "Trust me, Marinette. You weren't there. I _saw_ how dejected he was afterward. It was heartbreaking."

 _Dejected?_ He was probably just sad that his plan to look cool had backfired. Well it served him right! Too irritated to deal with them anymore, Marinette turned around in her seat, only to find Adrien looking at her.

"Wah!" she yelped in surprise, stomach dropping in utter embarrassment as Adrien's beautiful green eyes widened in shock.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," she said quickly, waving her hands in front of her. "You just scared me—I wasn't expecting—I mean... hi."

Oh. My. _God_. Why was she so lame!? Hi? That was seriously the best she could do!?

"Hey," Adrien said, shooting her an unsure smile. "So you... think Chat Noir was wrong?"

Now even _Adrien_ was going to defend the stupid cat instead of her? She was going to _strangle_ Chat the next time she saw him!

"Uh, well, yeah," she said, bumbling still. As much as she was angry at Chat, she didn't want to seem rude to Adrien. "If her transformation was about to wear off, then, I mean, well... Chat Noir should have known better than to press her for an answer just then." Then, seeing Adrien frown, she quickly added, "A-at least, that's what I think!"

"Even when he was being so sincere?" Adrien asked.

"Sincere?" she asked, unable to hide her irritation even from Adrien. "Oh please, were you watching? He _winked_ at the camera. The whole thing seemed so scripted and not at all genuine. What girl would want that?"

"Oh," Adrien said quietly, frowning sadly.

Oh _shit_! _Are you out of your mind, you complete dummy_! Marinette scolded herself. Wasn't Adrien one of Chat Noir's fans? He had seemed really interested that one time Chat had had to work with her as Marinette. Maybe she should have sugar coated it for him.

Before she could attempt to rectify that situation, the teacher walked in, cutting the conversations short.

Barely restraining a groan, Marinette fell back into her seat and closed her eyes. This was going to be a _long_ day. At least it was Friday. With any luck, maybe the whole thing would blow over during the weekend.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the awesome response to this fic! I totally wasn't expecting it, and it's been making my day ^^ I'm so glad you're enjoying it, and I hope you continue to!

I have NO idea why, but writing Marinette's anger at the beginning of this chapter was RIDICULOUSLY fun omg. When she thinks how infuriating Chat is, I kept hearing Star Butterfly's voice in my head saying "No, YOU'RE infuriating!" And then after Marinette rawrs (accidentally out loud), I just kept picturing Ruby from Keystone Motel and "I am an eternal flame, baby!" and "It's _fusion_ , Steven!" Which is all to say that I'm cartoon trash and they are all beginning to meld together in my mind into one happy ball of awesomeness.

Also, try saying "finally fitfully falling asleep" five times fast xD


	3. Late Night Escapades

**A/N:** I've gotten a couple questions whether this fic is going to continue. I've mentioned this in some of my ramble-y end notes, but just in case people aren't interested in reading those, I'll add it up here. Yes! I'm definitely going to be continuing this fic. It will at least be nine chapters. Probably longer, depending on how things play out. I've got the entire thing plotted out (I never start writing fics until I have the whole plot hammered out). It's just a question of whether the chapters will stay the same length, or if I'll decide to break them up a little bit. At most, I don't think this story will wind up being any longer than 15 chapters, and that's a really high estimate.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this gigantic chapter!

* * *

"Plagg, I just don't know what to do," Adrien said for the umpteenth time, staring hopelessly at his bedroom ceiling.

"Here's a novel idea: why don't you try to get some sleep." Adrien felt his pillow shift as Plagg rolled over with a huff.

"I've tried," Adrien said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "I can't. I just can't figure out what I should do."

"Nothing good is going to come from worrying like this," Plagg told him grumpily. "If anything, you're just going to be too worn out to properly deal with an akuma when another one finally rears its head."

"I know," Adrien said miserably. He tried to force his eyes closed, but his worried thoughts spun recklessly around and around his head, too chaotic to make sleep an option. "But what if she won't talk to me anymore? What if I completely blew it?"

"Listen," Plagg told him, his tone becoming more sympathetic. "You guys are a team, right? If you talk with her, I bet you guys can work it out. Now seriously— _go to bed_."

"Yeah… you're right," Adrien said with a sigh. "Night."

Not even thirty seconds later, he could hear the even breathing of Plagg as he slipped off to sleep. In comparison, Adrien had barely been able to sleep the past two nights. He doubted tonight would be any different.

More than worrying about whether he had messed up his chance, Adrien couldn't help but wonder if he had ever had a chance to begin with.

 _Because I already like someone else!_

The words echoed painfully across his mind. Somehow, the idea had never crossed Adrien's mind. He had always thought Ladybug was just being coy and having fun flirting back at him. He had never considered that perhaps she was as preoccupied with someone else as he was with her.

Even more importantly, he was worried he had hurt her. His classmates had been upset with Ladybug for how she had said it. And he had to admit, it _did_ hurt. But Marinette was right. He had put Ladybug in a bad situation. Was it any surprise that she had snapped at him? He was well aware of how uncomfortable she was with sharing her true identity, even with him. Although he felt a pang of disappointment at the thought, Adrien respected her decisions. And she _had_ been close to transforming. She had been in a rush to end the conversation—of course she would snap at him.

With a sigh, Adrien carefully got out of bed and walked over to his windows. He leaned against the frame, looking out over the lamplit street below.

A part of him hoped that maybe, just maybe, the whole bit about liking someone else had just been an excuse to get him to drop the subject. It was a stupid thing to wish for, because he knew he was getting his hopes up. But there was a slim— _miniscule_ —chance that Ladybug had been lying. He told himself he wasn't going to cling to that weak idea. He also knew that it was probably too late.

 _Because what if she just said it out of pressure?_ he asked himself. _What if she didn't really mean it? I would still have a chance, in that case. True, I messed up. But I can apologize._

Apologize, and then try to figure out how to make her understand. Marinette had said his actions made his confession seem insincere. What if Ladybug had felt the same way? She was always rolling her eyes or giving him flat looks whenever he tried to flirt with her. He had always thought that she was just being aloof. But what if she actually didn't take him seriously _because_ of how he acted?

Hell, if he wasn't smooth enough as Adrien and was _too_ smooth as Chat Noir, then was there any hope at all? For the first time ever, Adrien felt himself doubting Chat Noir. It was so amazing to be able to put on a mask and act however he wanted. To be someone who was cool enough to openly flirt with a girl like Ladybug.

Then again, he could only imagine how unimpressed Ladybug would be if she met the real Chat Noir. Quiet, reserved, boring Adrien. Adrien, who only had one real friend, and whose own father didn't find him interesting enough to spend any real time with.

Who did he have to be to impress her?

There was a low rumble, and Adrien felt the window frame shake slightly under his arms. Concerned, he looked down at the street below, squinting at the shadows.

The night was quiet. Frowning, Adrien, looked around his room. Had the sound come from the house? What would make the wall shake like that?

Suddenly there was another rumble, a little louder this time, and he could hear the windows rattle gently in their frames.

Adrien quickly opened the window in front of him, looking down into the street. Everything seemed still… then he caught a glimpse of something moving above the rooftops. The next moment it was gone, though another rumble shook the wall.

"Hey, Plagg," Adrien whispered quietly, training his eyes on the rooftops. When Plagg continued to snore, he added a bit louder, "Plagg!"

"Huh? Wha? What's wrong?" Plagg asked sleepily from the pillow.

"I think there's something—" Adrien was cut off by yet another rumble. Grimacing, he turned to Plagg. "Something out there," he finished quietly.

Plagg quickly zipped over to the windows, looking out at the dark night below. "What's going on?" he asked, all traces of grogginess gone in the face of trouble.

"I dunno," Adrien told him, eyes still trained on the rooftops. "I thought I saw something above the houses, but I'm not sure. Wait, there!"

A shadowy figure had risen above a nearby roof, though in the shadows Adrien couldn't make out any of the details. "Plagg, I think it's time to transform," he said, and Plagg nodded in agreement.

"Transformation: Chat Noir!" Adrien said. Plagg was sucked into his Miraculous and the transformation took place. With the suit came the familiar thrill of being Chat Noir. With his mask, he could be anything he wanted to be—someone who mattered in the big city of Paris.

Adrien took a breath to steady himself, then opened one of his larger windows all the way, slipping out his regular escape route. From there it was easy work to climb up the decorative wall of his father's mansion to the roof. As he went, he kept an eye on the dark shadow. It was to the East, probably a few blocks over, and was slowly moving forward as the rumbles continued.

Adrien quickly judged the best route across the rooftops. Although there was another house directly between him and the mysterious shadow, he knew a little further on there was an open square that would make it a little more difficult. Better, instead, to go a little ways northeast and try to cut the shadow off from ahead.

Mind made up, he took a running start and leapt into the night, relishing the cool whip of air against his exposed cheeks. As much as he loved protecting the city during the day, when the people of Paris could watch, Adrien had always felt a strong affinity for working in the night. He was the black cat, after all, able to blend into the shadowed corners of the City of Lights. Silently slipping from roof to roof always gave him a thrill of excitement.

After crossing several buildings, Adrien stopped again in the shadow of a chimney to survey the situation. The dark shadow was only one block over now, still moving forward. From closer up, Adrien could tell that it was huge—the figure stuck up above the rooftops like a thick column, moving at a surprisingly slow pace.

There was little doubt in Adrien's mind that this was the work of an akuma. What would be the best way to approach?

Suddenly he heard a familiar whirring of a zipline, and looked around just in time to see a much smaller, lithe figure come careening down the street towards the shadow.

"Ladybug," he said quietly. Adrien took off across the remaining buildings between him and the mysterious shadow.

"You need to stop!" he heard Ladybug call out to the figure. Worried, Adrien ran faster. Just one last, sloped roof and he should be right in front of the thing. He crested the peak, then stopped cold.

Standing in the street below was a dinosaur. Not a skeleton, like the exhibits at the museum, nor a replica like Adrien had once seen erected at the zoo. This was a living, breathing, _moving_ dinosaur. And it was _enormous_.

The shadowy column Adrien had been following was simply the creature's neck and head, stretching above even the rooftops. The neck sloped down to a massive body, which was roughly the size of a small car. The dinosaur took a slow step forward, its gigantic legs rattling the street below.

On its back was what looked be a young boy, decked out in paleontologist's gear.

"Did you hear me, kid?" Ladybug called out, zipping around front of the massive beast with her yoyo. "You need to stop!"

"I'd like to see you try to stop The Dinomite!" the kid yelled back, urging the dinosaur forward.

Deciding it was high time for him to jump into the fray, Adrien extended his baton to the length of a pole and vaulted across the street, landing next to Ladybug.

"Hey," he said, glancing at her hesitantly.

"Hey," she replied stonily, not even bothering to glance at him.

 _Yeah, I probably deserve that_ , Adrien thought miserably, heart sinking.

"What happened?" he asked, trying not to sound to hurt.

"I have no idea," Ladybug replied, still pointedly looking at the dinosaur and not at Adrien. "I've been following him for a few blocks. He just seems to be heading toward the park, but I can't figure out why. His ride, however, is causing quite a bit of damage."

Adrien finally glanced down at the street below, just now noticing the large, spiderweb cracks from where the dinosaur had stepped.

"Do you know where the akuma is?" he asked, looking back toward gigantic creature.

"No, I couldn't get close enough to see in the dark," Ladybug said. She glanced at him then finally, her face tightening into a stern frown, before looking away again.

She was _pissed_. Before Adrien could begin to apologize, Ladybug straightened up and started across the rooftop. "Come on. He may be moving slow, but we need to stop him before he wrecks the whole city."

Snapping his mouth closed, Adrien quickly followed behind as Ladybug took off at a run. "So what's the plan?" he asked, glancing back to the kid on the dinosaur's back.

"Find the akuma, get rid of it," Ladybug replied coldly. Then she flung her yoyo and swung across the street, jumping much closer to the boy than Adrien could manage with just his baton.

Deflating, Adrien did his best to keep up, sprinting across the rooftops so he was opposite her, ready as backup should she need him.

"Why don't you stop for a moment so we can talk?" Ladybug was telling the kid, loudly so he could hear her. "Maybe I can help."

"No!" the boy shouted stubbornly. "Now leave me alone!"

"But your brontosaurus is ruining the street!" Ladybug called back.

"It's not a brontosaurus!" the boy screamed suddenly. Adrien tensed, taken off guard by the child's angry outburst. "It's a brachiosaurus! Get it right!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Ladybug apologized quickly. "Brachiosaurus, then. Maybe we can—"

"NO!" the boy screamed. "Get away from me!"

"Listen, kid, you're not leaving me much choice here," Ladybug warned him, slinging her yoyo. "If you can't cooperate, we're gonna have to use force."

Suddenly the kid held up something—in the dim streetlights Adrien couldn't make out what it was. "Transform: Diplodicus!" the kid shouted.

Adrien watched in horror as the brachiosaurus shifted, it's necking shortening somewhat while its tail elongated into a twirling, whip-like thing. As Ladybug swung toward the boy on its back, the dinosaur—a diplodicus, apparently—snapped its tail at her, knocking her from midair.

"Ladybug!" Adrien yelled, his heart leaping into his throat. Not giving himself time to think about it, he launched himself into a dive across the street. He stretched out his arms as he fell towards her, grabbing her as she careened toward the pavement. Then, twisting them into a better angle, he extended his pole to lessen the impact of their landing.

"Thanks," Ladybug told him, quickly standing up. She still wasn't looking at him, and Adrien restrained himself from saying something about it. They had bigger problems to worry about for now.

"He can make it transform into _any_ dinosaur?" Adrien asked.

"Looks like it," Ladybug said, frown growing.

"So," Adrien said slowly, glancing toward her. "Any ideas?"

He surveyed the street around them. Luckily, the bulky diplodicus was ambling along at a relatively slow pace. Still, how could you stop something that massive?

For a moment Ladybug was silent, and Adrien was afraid she was going to tell him to just leave it to her. She hesitated, then said gruffly, "I'm going to trip it. You grab the akuma."

"Wait, what?" Adrien asked, taken off guard. How was she going to manage that? But Ladybug had already taken off, running ahead and leaving him to follow.

Adrien forced himself into motion, trying his best to follow her lead. If she wanted him to grab the akuma, then he needed to be level with the kid on the diplodicus' back. He quickly scaled a nearby bakery back to the rooftops, shadowing the creature as it continued down the street. Wanting to be ready, Adrien put himself in position a little ahead of the dinosaur, so that by the time it reached him he could leap out onto it.

Suddenly, the dinosaur swayed, it's neck continuing forward while it's body stayed behind. Horrified, Adrien realized that Ladybug had already sprung her trap, tangling up the creature's legs with her yoyo strung between two lamp posts. Cursing silently to himself, Adrien quickly backtracked, leaping across his current building to a place that was closer to the boy.

He could see Ladybug below, struggling with her hold on the yoyo to keep the beast in place. Adrien skidded to a stop across the shingles, readying himself to make sure he'd have a clear shot. Then he pounced toward the thing's back.

Mid-leap, the creature suddenly gave a long, deep bray and reared up on its hind legs, completely blocking Adrien from making a clear landing. Panicking, he slammed into the creature's side, knocking the wind from him as he fell toward the ground. Adrien managed to twist as he tumbled, landing into a roll. Ignoring his bruised side, he quickly jumped out of the way as the diplodicus came down heavily on its front legs, the impact splintering the pavement into pieces.

"I said LEAVE ME ALONE!" the boy screamed from the creature's back. Adrien looked up just in time to see the boy lift up his hand again, clutching a dinosaur toy. "Transform: Quetzalcoatlus!"

The diplodicus quickly shrank, everything pulling in towards its center. Then two wings stretched outwards, each easily twenty feet long. Its body, though far smaller than its wings, was big enough to support the boy on its back.

"You'll never catch me!" the boy yelled at them, the pterosaur soaring off across the sky.

Adrien watched the massive nightmare disappear into the dark with a bad feeling.

"Where were you?" Ladybug asked him angrily, re-slinging her yoyo. "I had him caught!"

"It would have been nice to know _when_ you were going to trip him," Adrien shot back, trying to keep his irritation from his voice. "I was in the wrong position."

Ladybug faltered for a moment, her shielded expression falling for the first time tonight into a guilty frown. But she quickly shook her head, determination firming her expression again. "Come on," she said quietly. "We gotta go find him."

She was off again before Adrien could reply, slinging herself up onto the rooftops. Frustrated, Adrien picked a good building and hurried his way up the wall to the roof.

They couldn't work like this—they were supposed to be a team. But as frustrated as he was at her icy attitude, Adrien also knew that he had caused it. Chat Noir was supposed to solve problems, not create them. He needed to apologize and get this sorted out. Taking a deep breath, he made up his mind and hurried after Ladybug.

"Do you know where he's going?" he asked as he caught up.

"I think the park," Ladybug told him, not bothering to look back.

"Right," Adrien said, fumbling for a way to ease into the subject. "Look, we need to talk."

"You mean about how you cornered me in front of thousands of viewers?" she asked icily. "Honestly, I've been doing my best to forget about it." Then she leapt forward with a burst of speed, launching herself to the next roof. She landed with a level of grace that was criminal.

Adrien watched her go, hopelessness momentarily overwhelming him. Taking a deep breath, he kicked himself into motion and followed her, streaking across the sky. "Right," he said, landing with a thump beside her. "About that. I just…"

Suddenly she turned on him, cutting him short with a glare and a flash of blue eyes. "Listen, Chat. It seems like you really need to work on your timing, because right now isn't really the best."

She started forward again, and he quickly followed, careful of his footing on the shingles.

"At least tell me if you were being honest," he said, struggling to keep up with her quickened pace.

"Honest?" she asked, shooting him a scathing look. "About the urgency of my miraculous about to wear off? I thought that was fairly evident."

"No," he said quickly, guilt rippling through him. "I know that. I mean, about what you said. That you like someone."

Ladybug's cheeks tinged a light shade of pink beneath her dazzling blue eyes, visible even in the ambient glow of the city lights. It hit Adrien like a punch in the gut, and he found himself struggling to breath for a moment.

"Well, yes," she said, though her blush had been confirmation enough. Then, her expression growing guarded once more, she added more gruffly, "Now come on, I want to find him before he causes any more damage."

Somehow Adrien's legs managed to propel him forward, his mind reeling. She hadn't just been trying to shut him up after all.

 _Stupid_ , he told himself. _You knew this would happen—why did you even get your hopes up?_ He should have realized. Ladybug had _never_ been interested in him—he had never had a chance.

He should have known, and yet the pain was no less suffocating, clogging at his throat as he trailed after her.

Who did she like? What kind of guy could win Ladybug's attention? Sourly, Adrien realized that he had zero chance of ever finding out. She didn't even want him to know how she truly was. There were more than two million people in Paris—she could be anyone. He could pass her in the street tomorrow and be none the wiser.

And as much as it hurt, Adrien knew that he couldn't press it. He wanted to know more about her, but he would respect her wishes. If she wanted to keep work separate from her real life, then so be it. Even as his heart was breaking, Adrien couldn't find it in himself to hold it against her. It wasn't _Ladybug's_ fault he had fallen so hard for her. If anything, she had stymied him at every turn. It just wasn't fair how lovely she could be, even when turning him down.

It didn't stop him from wanting the best for her. If that was truly how she felt, then shouldn't he respect her wishes? She had made her feelings apparent. Maybe now it was time for him to back off a bit. He could be happy with just teammates, couldn't he? He tried to assure himself, though even in his head it sounded like a weak attempt.

"Look," Ladybug said suddenly, stopping short. Adrien came up beside her, trying to keep his breathing even.

The park spread out before them, sporadically lit by lights along the winding walkway. In the middle of the park, a dark shadow descended, blending into the trees.

"How do we corner it?" Adrien asked, avoiding looking over at her.

"If we can find some way of keeping it from moving, one of us should be able to hold it down long enough for the other to grab the toy," she replied.

"Okay," he said quietly. "But how? That thing can shapeshift—even if we get it pinned, it could just transform into something else."

"I'm still working on that part…" Ladybug quipped back, sounding a little on edge. "For now, let's just get closer and see what we're working with."

They slid down the side of the building, then hurried across the street toward the park. Adrien stayed close to Ladybug, letting her lead the way.

Unlike the rest of the city, the park was slightly unnerving in the night. The lighting here was far more sparse, and the light breeze constantly shifted through the trees, creating an unending rustling that left him feeling jumpy. Adrien kept his mouth shut, not wanting to alert the kid and his dangerous pet to their whereabouts.

They swiftly made their way deeper into the park, following the winding path. As they neared the center, there was a loud rustle in the bushes. On full alert, Adrien carefully slid his baton into his hand, getting ready for whatever was behind there.

There was another loud rustle, and he glanced uneasily at Ladybug, who had frozen in her spot. They waited silently, eyes trained on the brush.

When nothing else happened, Ladybug nodded toward the bushes, slowly creeping forward. Adrien followed, his grip tightening on his baton.

As quietly as she could, Ladybug pressed one of the bush's long branches aside, glancing into the dark on the other side. Adrien looked inside, the rustling growing louder. Even with the nearby lamp, it was virtually dark inside the bush, making it hard to see anything.

Suddenly a huge snout pushed forward, snapping twigs as it moved. With a startled yelp, Adrien and Ladybug both leapt backward, sharing an uneasy glance. The rustling grew louder, now accompanied with a crunching noise.

Ladybug furtively waved for Adrien to follow her, then quickly stole around to the side of the hedge. Adrien poked his head around the side, jaw dropping as he saw a gigantic triceratops munching on the bushes. The boy was sitting on its back and petting it adoringly.

"If I wrangle its front legs, can you jump on its back?" Ladybug asked quietly, the beast's crunching covering the sound.

Adrien nodded in silent reply, widening his stance. Ladybug threw her yoyo, tangling the front legs. With a tug, she brought it down to its front knees.

Adrien burst forward, using his pole to launch himself up onto its back. The boy looked around in horror as he landed beside him. Clutching his toy, he shouted, "Transform: Tyrannosaurus!"

Adrien wobbled as the dinosaur suddenly shifted underneath him, its back becoming sloped. Without anything to grab onto, he tumbled to the ground yet again, watching as a gigantic T-rex reared up before him.

"Chat, out of there _now_!" Ladybug screamed at him.

Snapping himself out of his shock, Adrien scrambled out of the way. The monster behind him let out a terrible roar, shaking the ground beneath his feet.

"Run!" he shouted at Ladybug, sprinting towards her. She took off, and Adrien followed close behind.

"What do we do _now_!?" she yelled, yanking him sharply to the left. The dinosaur went thundering past them, closely missing Adrien.

"I think now would be a good time for a little luck!" Adrien yelled back nervously. "Like, right now!"

"Right!" Ladybug said, extending her yoyo. "Lucky Charm!"

There was a flash of red hearts, and a giant pair of branch cutters fell into her hand.

"What on earth are those for!?" Adrien asked, dragging her into a sharp turn as the T-Rex thundered toward them again.

"I'm trying! Just gimme a second!" she yelled back at him. He could see her looking around, assessing the situation.

Suddenly, her eyes widened. "I got it! Can you lure the T-rex into the pond?"

"Yes," Adrien said firmly. "Do what you need to do."

"Make sure you get out of the water, okay?" she asked, and he nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Adrien split away from Ladybug and turned toward the T-rex.

"Yo, brontosaurus!" he called out, waving his arms frantically.

"IT'S NOT A BRONTOSAURUS," the boy yelled at him, careening toward him as Ladybug slipped away. Silently praying that Ladybug knew what she was doing, Adrien took off at a run for the pond. The earth shook as the T-rex followed.

Off to the side he could see Ladybug swinging towards a nearby construction truck, which had been left overnight near the edge of the pond. The dump truck was piled high with dirt. The hatch was locked, though Ladybug was about to make quick work of that.

Adrien quickly splashed into the water, trying not to let the unnerving sound of the T-rex crashing behind him throw him off guard.

"Ready?" Ladybug called to him.

"Yes, do it!"

With a loud snap she cut through the lock, which fell to the ground. She slammed her hand onto the "Open" button on the control panel at the back of the truck, and the hatch slowly lifted open, a cascade of dirt spilling into the pond.

Adrien glanced back to the T-Rex, which was quickly approaching the water's edge. He waited anxiously in the middle of the pond, watching as the dirt continued to pour in.

"Chat, get out!" Ladybug yelled at him.

Adrien waited another moment, just to be sure that the T-Rex was heading for the water. Then he quickly turned on his tail and raced toward the other end of the pond. Already the water was murky and thickening into mud, slowing his progress.

There was a slick squish as the T-rex ran into the pond, racing towards him.

"Chat!" Ladybug yelled again, fear straining her voice. Adrien continued toward the edge, not allowing himself to consider what would happen if they had somehow miscalculated. As he finally reached the shore, Ladybug came running for him, lending him a hand.

Nervously he turned back to look at the water. It had been transformed into a giant mud pit, the T-rex struggling in the middle.

"Hurry," Adrien told her. "Grab it while he's distracted."

Ladybug wound up, then threw her yoyo toward the boy. It wrapped several times around the toy in his hand, and she quickly yanked it away.

"HEY!" the boy yelled, unable to stop as Ladybug caught the toy and quickly ripped the miniature dinosaur's head off. She dropped both pieces to the ground, a black butterfly working its way free. She caught the butterfly, purifying it with her yoyo and letting it go. Then, looking relieved, she threw the branch cutters into the air. "Healing Light!"

Bright red hearts flooded the park, cleaning up the water, restoring the dump truck, and making the T-rex disappear. A cloud of hearts huddled around the boy, bringing him safely to the shore. They dispersed, revealing a boy wearing dinosaur pajamas.

"What happened?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

Suddenly sirens blared, and two police cars rolled down the wide walkway. They parked nearby, and a police officer stepped out of one.

"What's going on here?" he asked, looking between Ladybug, Adrien, and the kid. "I've got reports of giant dinosaurs wandering through the park?"

"Another akuma attack," Ladybug told him, helping the kid to his feet and handing him his repaired toy. "This poor boy was under its control. Can you get him safely back home?"

"Yes," the officer said, helping the kid toward the cruiser. "You sure you got everything taken care of?"

"Yes, thanks," Ladybug told him.

The police officer helped the kid into the car, then nodded to the two of them before heading off.

"Right, well, I'm heading to bed," Ladybug said, turning away.

"Wait!" Adrien said quickly, grabbing her hand. Ladybug shot him an impatient look, and his heart clenched painfully in his chest.

"I know you need to get going, I promise I won't hold you long," he assured her, struggling to find the right words. "I just… want to apologize. I shouldn't have put you on the spot the other day. I didn't mean to embarrass you like that. I'm sorry."

He took a deep breath, then made up his mind. "I really think you're amazing," he told her quickly. "Whoever this guy is who you like, you should tell him. You deserve to be happy."

"Oh," Ladybug said quietly, looking completely taken off guard. "... Thanks."

"Well, I better head out," he said quickly, trying to hide his disappointment. "See you later."

Not waiting for her to say anything, he turned on his heel and took off across the park.

* * *

 **A/N:** Full Disclosure: my son actually is the one who came up with the idea for this akuma. He has a dinosaur OBSESSION, and naturally I have had to learn about all of the dinosaurs right along with him. (I know WAY more about dinosaurs than I ever wanted to…) I got my son into Miraculous Ladybug this past week, and he loves it. I've been reading the subtitles out loud for him for now until Nick finally starts airing it in December. When we were driving home one day he just started telling me this story about a dinosaur-related akuma, and I took the idea and ran with it for this story. (Also, if you're curious, I'm a rather young mom. Not gonna give specific ages, but he's not QUITE old enough to read subtitles yet, and I'm only in my mid-twenties. You can do the math yourself if you want ;D)

In case any of you are dinosaur purists, like my son, I should clarify: yes, I know that pterosaurs aren't technically dinosaurs. Dinomite's power is the ability to transform his animal companion into any prehistoric creature he knows of. His preference is just for the reptilian ones.

If you're wondering why the kid didn't specifically try to steal their miraculous, it's basically because I couldn't think of a good way to do it xD Let's just pretend he was hoping to have his T-Rex pin them down so he could take them away? I'M MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, I'M SORRY.

This chapter turned out HUGE. Just fair warning, I'm not planning on writing any more fight scenes after this. I mean, it's not like I'm cutting scenes I originally planned to include or anything. But before I started this chapter I was thinking about working in some more action scenes to make things more interesting. And, just, no. As much fun as this was to write, 5,000 words is quite a bit longer than I intend the majority of these chapters to be. (Aside from maybe the last chapter or two, which will likely be pretty big.)

I've also been hearing a couple songs on the radio that remind me of LadyNoir recently, and I decided to put together an 8tracks playlist for writing inspiration. A lot of it is music that I was a HUGE fan of growing up in the late 90s/early 00s, but that I haven't listened to as much since then (a lot of poppy/angsty love songs, including tons of classic early 00s crush songs—I'm talking Jump5, B*Witched, LMNT xD OLDIES BUT GOODIES MAYBE? hahaha). When I was going through my library trying to pick out songs that I felt fit the dynamic between Marinette and Adrien, a bunch of these adorable teeny-pop songs just seemed to fit the bill. Also, a few songs by Justin Bieber, One Direction, and Jonas Brothers. Which, if you know me, is kind of surprising. I don't have anything against their music, but I've never been a huge fan. But there are a handful of songs that it's just like, "THIS REMINDS ME OF LADYNOIR, IT'S GOING ON THE PLAYLIST." Hahaha. For whatever reason, Bieber's new song "What Do You Mean" has really stuck with me while I've been working on this story, and I feel like it fits Adrien's insecurities about the whole thing in this chapter. Anyway, there's also a mix of other songs on the playlist that tend to be more up my alley these days, both in the realm of pop and alternative. Not sure if anyone would be interested in checking it out, but it kind of sums up my general emotions when it comes to this ship. Which is to say, LadyNoir melts me into a gigantic, sticky pile of sap. If you go on 8tracks, the playlist is named "It's Complicated - LadyNoir"

Also, WOW. I can't believe I forgot to include this in earlier chapters: Feel free to come hang with me on Tumblr! I'm on sporadically (busy life T_T), but I am ALWAYS up to chat about Miraculous Ladybug! And a million other shows too (Steven Universe and Star vs. the Forces of Evil, as well as Free! and other anime). Although, be warned, my blog is definitely NSFW. ANYWAY, come join me at the same name (Konekat).

Thanks as always for reading and for all of the wonderful comments!


	4. Spit It out

Sunday was spent working on homework, much to Marinette's chagrin. Or, more accurately, it was spent with Marinette _attempting_ to work on homework and utterly failing. The longer she stared at the math equations on the paper in front of her, the harder she found it to concentrate.

Instead, Chat Noir's words swirled continuously in her head.

Should she confess to Adrien? _Could_ she? For Ladybug, it would have been easy. When she was Ladybug, she didn't have to worry about being clumsy or saying the wrong thing. The anonymity was exhilarating and seemed to make everything—even saving the day—relatively easy.

But could Marinette do it? So far every time she had tried to make her feelings known she had bungled things. And this wasn't just anyone. This was _Adrien_ , only the coolest, most handsome, kindest, most amazing guy in the entire school. He was so nice to everyone—even her stuttering, awkward self on occasion. And he could have literally anyone he wanted. Why would he even be remotely interested in her?

 _You deserve to be happy_ , Chat Noir had said.

Marinette's breath caught for a moment, recalling the pained smile that had accompanied his words. Chat's advice had taken her off guard simply because he had just been so _sweet_. Of course, Marinette always had Alya rooting in her corner. But Chat's encouragement had been … different.

For a moment, Marinette let herself consider the possibility that Chat Noir had _actually_ been serious about her. Alya was right—he had seemed rather despondent throughout the entire battle last night. And although that could just be because she had been so obviously angry with him, there was something that made her hesitate to completely write it off. She was glad he had apologized. She could see now that he hadn't meant to embarrass her, which made it much easier to forgive him. And yet, even after his apology things hadn't gone back to normal.

What if Chat Noir really did have a thing for her?

She could feel her cheeks begin to grow red, and she quickly tried to erase the thought from her mind. Smooth talking, flirtatious Chat Noir? Why would he pay attention to _her_?

Suddenly, her heart sank. No, not her. _Ladybug_. Even if Chat Noir really had been serious, he could only be interested in the quick-witted superhero. _Not_ goofy, shy Marinette. Chat had already met the real her, and he had obviously not shown even a glimmer of interest in her. Why should he?

Marinette forcibly stopped herself there. No more thinking about it—she was just going to hurt her own feelings.

She sighed heavily, glancing down at her half-finished math homework. Okay, it was time to concentrate and get back to work. She picked up her pencil and looked at the next problem.

… But then what about Adrien? Should she tell him how she felt, and risk blowing everything for good? Wasn't it good enough just being around him and admiring him from afar?

Surprisingly, she realized that it wasn't. Watching him everyday, so shy that she could barely manage to say hello properly, wasn't really interacting with him. If he turned her down… Just thinking about the possibility made her heart ache. But, well, if he _did_ turn her down, then so be it. At least she would know.

Tomorrow, she would tell Adrien.

"I can't believe I missed it!"

"There, there," Marinette said, trying to console Alya. "There are probably plenty of times you miss out on Ladybug's and Chat Noir's adventures."

Alya's pout only grew more pronounced. "You're not helping, Marinette! I want to capture ALL of it! Instead, I had to learn from the _police blotter_ that they were saving the city Saturday night?"

Marinette rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help a small smile at her friend's antics. "Didn't the blotter say it happened around midnight? You were probably sound asleep by then anyways."

Alya groaned, slamming her locker shut. "Oh well. Next time, for sure, I will be there!"

"Haha, that's the spirit!" Marinette told her, closing her own locker. _Hopefully from a safe distance_ , she added silently. Alya was going to give Marinette a heart attack, the way she kept throwing herself into the fray. It was hard enough to save the day without also worrying herself sick that her best friend was going to get hurt.

"I'm worried about them, too," Alya added, sounding more serious as they started toward the classroom. "Things didn't end on a good note last week. I was hoping to see if they had figured it out. "

Alya's concern took Marinette off guard. She was trying to figure out how to respond when Alya added, "You were right, by the way."

"About what?" Marinette asked, completely confused.

"About Ladybug," Alya told her. "I went back and re-watched the video. It was obvious that she was really nervous. I was so worried about Chat Noir that I didn't even notice. It just made the whole thing even more depressing, honestly."

"Oh… yeah," Marinette said. Hearing Alya acknowledge it was an odd mix of gratifying and relieving. Then, hoping to change the topic, she quickly added, "But well, hopefully they can work things out!" _Hopefully we already have_ , she added silently.

"Yeah," Alya said, smiling back at her.

They walked into the classroom, and Marinette's gaze was immediately drawn to Adrien, who was talking with Nino.

 _Do it_ , she told herself. _Just tell him you need to talk after class. It's no big deal._

Her palms were sweating, and Marinette wasn't sure if her voice was working properly. Who was she kidding? It was _totally_ a big deal. She couldn't just walk up to him like that!

No, no! She couldn't give up again! It couldn't be that hard.

Adrien looked up as she walked past, gracing her with a dazzling smile. "Hey Marinette, hey Alya."

Marinette froze, mind suddenly going blank.

 _Just say it!_ she screamed at herself. She opened her mouth, no words coming out.

 _"Can we talk later?" It's not that hard!_ Adrien was staring at her in concern now, and Marinette could have sworn Chloe was giggling behind her.

 _YOU IDIOT, SAY SOMETHING AT LEAST!_

"H-hey," she squeaked. Adrien gave her an uncertain smile, and Marinette quickly scurried to her seat, safely out of his view, her head hanging in shame.

This … wasn't going to work.

Alya patted her shoulder, shooting her a sympathetic look.

Thankfully the teacher walked in then, saving her from any more agonizing embarrassment. Marinette did her best to pay attention and take notes, but she kept getting distracted watching the back of Adrien's head.

 _Okay_ , she told herself. _That was admittedly pretty bad. But you still have time! Just talk with him when class is done. Deep breaths. Words. It'll be fine._ Hopefully. God, even the back of his head was perfect.

The wait was agonizing. The morning dragged by slowly, and Marinette was fairly certain she only took in about a tenth of what the teacher was saying.

Finally, the bell rang for the lunch break. Marinette took several deep breaths, getting herself ready.

"Oh, Adrien!" Chloe said suddenly. Marinette watched with horror as Chloe came over to Adrien and grabbed his arm. "Let's grab lunch together!" Then, not waiting for him to reply, she dragged him out of the classroom.

Marinette watched them leave, not believing her luck. She had completely missed her chance!

"You coming, Marinette?" Alya asked, glancing down at her in concern.

With a groan, Marinette banged her head down onto the desk, waving Alya on. "You go ahead. I'm just going to sit here and contemplate what I'm doing with my life."

"Alright, well I'll see you after lunch," Alya said before heading out the door.

Marinette watched as the rest of the class meandered out of the classroom, taking their chatter with them.

Why was this so difficult? It was just a few words! Well, okay, a few admittedly embarrassing and potentially heart breaking words. But how hard was it just to spit out one measly little sentence?

 _Adrien, I like you_ , she practiced in her head. _Just like that. All you have to do is spit it out._

It was ridiculous to spend so much time agonizing about his answer when she couldn't even get the words out in the first place. For a few minutes she just sat there, mentally prepping herself.

Eventually, Marinette pushed herself up from her desk with a sigh and glanced at the clock. Class had already been over for a good ten minutes now. She needed to get going home for lunch. She sullenly slung her bag over her shoulder and headed to her locker.

She opened the door to the locker room, then froze when she came face to face with Adrien.

"Oh, hey!" he told her with a heart rendering smile.

"Hey!" she said, voice coming out an octave higher than usual.

God, there wasn't even anyone left in the locker room! What was he still doing here? _Stupid_ , Marinette scolded herself. _Now's the perfect chance!_

"Well," Adrien said, opening the other door, "I guess I'll see you later!"

 _No, you can't miss your chance!_ she thought frantically. _Just spit it out!_

"Wait!"

Adrien paused, hand on the door, and looked back at her. Heart pounding, Marinette forced herself to continue.

"Well, I just…" She took a deep breath and screwed her eyes shut tight, forcing the words out. "I've just … always really liked you. And… and I was wondering if you'd want to go out with me sometime." The last bit came out all in a rush, the words hanging in the air between them.

She stood there for a moment, eyes still squeezed shut, as the silence stretched on. When Adrien didn't immediately reply, she carefully opened one eye, peeking at him warily.

Adrien looked completely shocked, mouth slightly open. Oh, _god_. Even flabbergast he looked unbearably cute.

He blinked, then blurted out, "Why would you like _me_?"

Marinette gaped at him, completely surprised by the question. "Why?" she asked, struggling to find the words. "I mean, you're so genuine, and kind, and really patient with people, and a great friend, and I really admire you, aaaaand I'm rambling now I'm sorry."

 _Idiot!_ she screamed at herself, snapping her mouth shut as her face turned bright red. Adrien still looked like he didn't quite believe her, or that he didn't know what to say, or perhaps some combination of the two.

The silence stretched on unbearably, making Marinette grow more and more red with each passing second. Unable to bear it another second, Marinette quickly looked away, stomach sinking. "Right, well, sorry to spring that all on you." She was rambling again! "I'll just leave now—"

"No, wait!" Adrien said, grabbing her hand. The sudden contact hit her like a bolt of lightning, oddly reminding her of how Chat Noir had grabbed her arm Saturday night. Turning even more red, if possible, she shoved Chat from her mind.

"Sorry," Adrien said, a faint red gracing his own cheeks. "You just … surprised me. I wasn't expecting it."

"Oh, yeah," Marinette said with a quiet laugh. He hadn't let go of her hand, and her mind was still screaming in incoherent delirium.

"I would like that," Adrien added.

Forcing her brain back into motion, Marinette looked at in him confusion. "What?"

"I would like to go out with you sometime," he told her.

Marinette was pretty sure her jaw was somewhere on the ground right now. She struggled to force words to start working again. "Yeah," she told him, a big, goofy grin breaking across her face. "Me too."

"Would you want to catch a movie tomorrow night?" he asked her.

"Yeah!" she said, voice somehow managing to stay at a normal level. "That sounds great!"

"Cool," Adrien told her with a small smile. "Well, I'll talk to you later."

Marinette watched him leave, then forced herself to slowly walk to her locker. After a moment, when she was sure that Adrien was far enough away, she burst into excited squeals.

Oh my god. Oh my _GOD_! She waved her arms excitedly, trying to calm down somewhat. She _had_ to text Alya. As she pulled out her cell, she realized that she also had to thank Chat Noir. He had been the one to push her to do it, after all. For a moment, she felt a pang of guilt. Then she quickly shooed it away. He _couldn't_ have been serious about her, right? Either way, nothing was going to ruin her happiness. Tomorrow she had a date with _Adrien_!

She found herself wondering if it was possible to die of happiness.

* * *

 **A/N:** Starting to write this chapter was a ton more difficult than it should have been for no discernible reason. I was having a hard time trying to find a song that perfectly fit the mood that I was going for. I wanted one that portrayed the fluttery, jittery feeling of Marinette trying to work up the courage to talk to Adrien. I eventually settled on My Love by The Bird and the Bee. I also listened a lot to Jump5's All I Can Do xD Warning: this fic comes with an above-average dose of teeny-bop music.

Also, when Marinette is considering all the reasons why Chat Noir would never be interested in boring old Marinette, all that kept coming to mind was a scene from Sekaiichi Hatsukoi when Kisa thinks of every excuse why Yukina wouldn't be interested in him, and winds up hurting his own feelings xD SO ACCURATE.

When I originally was writing the scene where she confesses, and he asks her why, I was going to have him say, "I'm not that great," and have her say something to the effect of "Okay … I mean, that sounds fake, but okay." Buuuut, it just didn't feel like the type of thing he would say at that moment, so I decided against it. xD

Get ready for this fic to start earning its name, by the way, in the next few chapters. It should hopefully be a fun ride. Next chapter will be the date (which might possibly wind up being two chapters long)!

Thank you guys so much for all the follows, comments, and for reading! You guys never fail to make me smile ^^

As always, feel free to come hang out or chat with me on Tumblr (Konekat)! I just hit 200 followers today, and in celebration I'm doing a short fic/drabble give away. If you follow me, you can submit a drabble request (for shows/fandoms I'm into obviously, including Miraculous Ladybug). I'll be picking three to fulfill. You can see more about it on my blog.


	5. Gumballs

Marinette _liked_ him?

Adrien sat in the backseat of his limo as he headed home for lunch, trying to wrap his mind around it.

He supposed, looking back, it maybe should have been obvious. She _did_ seem to freeze up a lot around him. But Adrien had always assumed that she was just ridiculously shy. Only now did it occur to him that he had never seen her freeze up around anyone else.

Marinette liked _him_. Not Chat Noir— _him_.

The thought set off another round of fizzling bubbles in his middle, the kind that made him feel like he was suddenly enveloped in a warm, buoyant cloud. As much as he _should_ have realized all along, the realization still left Adrien feeling incredulous.

And though he felt ridiculous for having asked her _why_ , her answer had left him permanently on cloud nine.

True, she was no Ladybug—

 _No_ , he told himself firmly. _That's completely unfair. You shouldn't compare them_.

Besides, Ladybug had made it very clear that she wasn't interested in him. And as much as even thinking about it sent a pang of pure misery through his chest, Adrien respected her feelings. Continuing to dwell on her wasn't going to change anything. He had already made up his mind to let her go and just keep their relationship as teammates.

Plus, a date with Marinette sounded nice. If nothing else, he was looking forward to getting to know his classmate a little better. And if, at the end of the day, they just didn't click, then so be it. But just one date had to be worth a shot, right?

"You did _what_!?" Alya squealed, mouth hanging open.

"I know!" Marinette squealed back, spinning giddily in her computer chair. Her heart hadn't stopped hammering all day.

"Marinette, that's amazing!" Alya told her, a big grin slowly taking over her face. "What on _Earth_ possessed you to confess to him, finally?"

"I … just… felt like it was time, I guess," Marinette replied weakly. What was she supposed to say? _Oh, well, Chat Noir convinced me to. No big deal._ No, it was better to just keep that to herself. "We're going to the movies tomorrow night!"

"Do you have an outfit picked out yet?" Alya asked, unable to stop grinning. Marinette knew the feeling.

"Not yet," she replied, glancing at her closet in despair.

In all honesty, Marinette's heart was beating so fast from not only excitement, but also trepidation. Adrien had said _yes_. But what if she messed this up? What if he went on a date with her and decided she wasn't his type? What if she did something stupid—because, if she was being honest, she _always_ did something stupid—and he finally realized what a complete dolt she was?

 _No_ , she scolded herself firmly. _Stop it_. Whatever would happen, she could at least give it her best. And that started with her clothes. Glancing toward Alya, she asked, "Do you think … you could help me pick something out?"

Marinette had never seen Alya grin so big.

It was drizzling as Adrien stood outside of the theater, though the damp evening didn't slow down the busy Paris streets. Adrien pulled his jacket a little tighter, scanning the crowds for Marinette.

He had spent the day wondering what to expect. Marinette had turned bright red at the sight of him in class earlier, though they hadn't had time to talk at all. Now that he thought about it, Adrien wasn't really sure what all Marinette was interested in. He knew that she was an amazing artist and was interested in fashion, but beyond that he barely knew anything about her.

"Hey!"

Surprised, Adrien turned around to find Marinette at his side, hiding under under a pink umbrella with her cheeks tinged a light pink.

"Oh, hey!" he replied, smiling at her. She had dressed up a bit, wearing a knit purple top and cute knee-length black skirt. "You look nice," he added, holding the door to the theater open.

"Oh!" she squeaked, face flushing a deep red at an alarming rate. Then, in a small voice, she added, "Thanks. You look nice too."

They strode over to the cashier's line, which was surprisingly long given that it was a Tuesday evening.

"Were you able to finish that math homework from today?" Adrien asked.

"Yeah," Marinette mumbled, glancing toward the ground. "It was a nightmare though."

"Yeah," Adrien added with a chuckle. "I didn't understand half of it."

Marinette made a muffled noise of agreement, though she didn't didn't meet his eyes.

Adrien waited for a moment, but Marinette didn't add anything more. "I found the science lesson a little more interesting, though," he continued, growing a bit uncertain when Marinette didn't respond. "What about you?"

"Y-yeah," Marinette told him, gaze still firmly locked on the ground.

A new silence stretched, and Adrien found himself floundering, trying to think of a way to say something else without it sounding awkward. Should he talk about the weather? Then again, that was small talk. He was really good at small talk, given all the important types of guests his father entertained at home, but that wasn't the type of thing to talk about on a date. There had to be _something_ they could talk about, right? Like with Nino. What did he normally talk with Nino about? For some reason, Adrien found it hard to believe that Marinette would be interested in hearing about his video game.

What about Ladybug? The two of them never seemed to struggle to hold a conversation. With Ladybug, the conversations always happened naturally, even if they did tend to get cut short. Maybe—

Wait, _no_. He had to stop thinking about her. Ladybug probably hadn't even given him a second thought since the last attack. She probably had other things to occupy her thoughts, while in the meantime he could barely go five minutes without thinking of her. Besides, this was a date with Marinette—she deserved his undivided attention.

Before he could think of something else to say, the people at the register moved. Slightly relieved at the out from the awkward silence, Adrien walked up to the cashier. "Two tickets for the 5:15 show, please," he told the woman.

"W-wait! I'll pay for myself," Marinette said quickly, finally meeting Adrien's gaze. For a moment his breath froze as he looked in her brilliant blue eyes, mouth working wordlessly. Then, forcing the words out of his mouth, he smiled. "Don't worry about it—my treat today," he told her. Marinette's flush returned in full force, and she quickly dropped her gaze to the floor again.

Adrien handed his money to the cashier, mind still racing. Somehow, he had never noticed just how _blue_ Marinette's eyes were. She looked just like—

 _No_. He wasn't going to go there. Enough about Ladybug.

… Then again, Marinette _did_ have black hair…

Adrien firmly stomped the possibility out of his mind, accepting the movie tickets from the cashier with a smile. He wasn't going to do this to himself. Not now. He had been through this a million times already—there were a lot of people with blue eyes and black hair in Paris. The first few months he had worked with Ladybug, he had stopped short every time he saw a girl with black hair. There was no way for him to know for sure—and allowing himself to consider that Marinette might be Ladybug would be ridiculous. It was probably just because he couldn't force himself to stop thinking about Ladybug. Which he needed to do. Now.

He took a deep breath as he turned to Marinette. "Should we go find a seat?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she replied, still nervously not meeting his eyes.

Adrien smiled uncertainly, then started toward Theater Three. As flattering as it was that Marinette liked him, if he was being honest with himself he had to admit that the nervous silences were a bit nerve wracking. Maybe the movie would be a little easier—at least then he wouldn't have to worry about what to say.

They silently made their way into the theater, and he paused to glance at her. "Any seating preferences?" he asked her, shooting her what he _hoped_ was a disarming smile.

"Maybe the middle?" she asked, glancing at him uncertainly, head still ducked.

Unable to help himself, Adrien chuckled. "Is that a request, or a question?" he asked her lightly.

Her blush deepened—seriously, how did she keep _doing_ that?—but Adrien caught a small smile flash across Marinette's face. "Um, request," she told him, voice a _fraction_ firmer than before.

"Sure," Adrien told her, smile growing. They made their way to one of the middle rows and grabbed some decent seats. The official previews hadn't started yet, but Adrien was glad that they had gotten there a bit early—already the theater was starting to fill up.

He tried to think of something else to talk about, but found himself coming up short. Marinette sat quietly beside him, though he resisted glancing her way—wouldn't that just be weird if he didn't have something to say?

 _Dummy, just say_ something, he told himself. Taking a quick breath, he turned to her. "So, what do you think of Alya's blog?"

Wait, no, not _that_ , he yelled at himself. That would just lead to—

"Well, Ladybug and Chat Noir are really cool," Marinette said with a hesitant shrug. Then, seeming to struggle to find the right words, she added, "But I watch it more for Alya's sake than my own."

"Oh," Adrien said, feeling oddly deflated. He couldn't even explain why. It shouldn't matter, if Marinette cared about Chat Noir or not. It had nothing to do with him personally. Except, well, it kind of did, didn't it? He probably shouldn't have even been surprised—hadn't Marinette said that Chat Noir seemed, what, "insincere"?

Marinette looked ready to say something else, but the lights suddenly dimmed and the movie previews began, cutting her off. Unsure whether he should be relieved or not, Adrien sat back and turned his attention to the action movie on the screen in front of him.

Throughout the previews, he stole a few glances at Marinette. She kept her attention firmly on the screen, shoulders tense. Maybe, if he were better at this, he could come up with a way to put her at ease. It was almost painful to watch, now that he knew why she was being so shy. But Adrien seriously didn't know what he could say to her to make things less awkward.

The previews finally came to a close, a title screen coming into view. Adrien frowned as he saw the title: "A Father's Bond." That wasn't the movie they had come to see, was it? Adrien was pretty sure he had bought tickets for the latest Disney release.

"Is this one of those short films?" Marinette asked him, taking Adrien completely by surprise.

"Yeah, I guess so," he told her. He shot her another glance, but her gaze was still solidly locked on the screen.

Adrien turned back to the film, which was now showing a young boy and his father outside playing catch. He shifted uncomfortably, watching as the two characters laughed. The son missed a catch, and the father came over to show him how best to catch a ball, hugging his son close.

Adrien tried to watch it—he really did—but after a moment, he turned away, stomach clenching. He hated shows like this. They made it seem so simple, as if all dads were naturally born with some ability to bond with their children. As if there weren't kids in the world sitting around and wondering why their fathers were too busy for them. He didn't need to be reminded of all the ways his father fell short.

"Hey," Marinette whispered suddenly, taking Adrien off guard yet again.

"Yeah?" he asked, carefully avoiding looking at the screen, where the father was now tucking his son into bed.

"I … I mean, I need … can you come with me?" Marinette fumbled nervously, pointing toward the stairs.

"Sure," Adrien told her, confused but more than happy to accompany her. They apologized as they scooted past the few people in their row, then quickly slipped out of the darkened theater.

"What's up?" Adrien asked Marinette.

"Oh!" Marinette said, glancing around nervously. "I just… I … forgot I wanted to get a gumball for later!"

She grabbed his hand and dragged him over towards the candy machines, laughing nervously.

"Oh, sure," Adrien said, frowning a bit as Marinette grabbed her coin purse from her bag. Confused, he asked, "You needed to do this now?"

Marinette visibly deflated, the forced grin sliding from her face. Her expressiveness might have been cute if Adrien weren't so worried about her. "Oh. Yeah, sorry. You just looked a little… I mean, yeah, I probably should have waited."

Wait, had she been worried about _him_? Adrien felt his breath catch as the realization hit him. That was surprisingly … sweet.

"No, no," he reassured her quickly, shooting her a small smile. "Now's perfect."

"Okay," Marinette replied, a little of the tension leaving her shoulders. "Cool, just a second then." She returned his smile hesitantly, and suddenly Adrien was overcome by gratefulness for her, awkwardness and all. He was a little surprised she had caught on, in all honesty. Normally he tried to keep his frustrations with his father on the down low—Nino was the only one he really talked to about it. But still, he was glad to be standing in the quiet lobby and _not_ trying to block out the sappy short film.

Adrien glanced back over a Marinette, who was craddling a handful of gumballs while fishing for yet another coin in her purse.

"Uh, Marinette?" he asked her. "You've got, like, five gumballs already."

"Just a secondddd…" Marinette replied slowly. Her face was twisted in concentration as she slid the coin into the slot, as if accomplishing some monumental task, and Adrien had to hid a small grin behind his hand as he watched. Marinette twisted the crank, eyes glue firmly to machine as a gumball clanked behind the metal door. She carefully opened the door and a green gumball rolled rolled into her palm.

"Yes!" she replied, triumphantly pumping her fist into the air. Then, suddenly appearing to remember where she was, she blushed furiously, turning to Adrien. "Here," she said, holding the gumball out to him. "Green's your favorite color, right?"

"Yeah," he told her, shooting her a confused look as he accepted the gift. He didn't remember ever telling anyone he liked green. "How did you know?"

"Oh, well, you know," Marinette squeaked, looking downright mortified. "Anyway, uh, got my gumballs! We should probably go back now."

She quickly turned on her heel, although her bright red ears were impossible to miss. Adrien watched her go for a moment, too taken off guard to do anything. There was a warmth spreading through his chest, and it was making his lungs and stomach feel fluttery.

Finally he forced himself to follow after Marinette, head still reeling. So she was a little shy. Or, well, okay— _really_ shy. But somehow, here was someone who paid enough attention to realize that his favorite color was green, and made up silly, lame excuses to get him out of uncomfortable situations. And for the first time, Adrien felt himself relaxing a bit. As they walked back into the theater, he tucked the gumball into his coat pocket for safekeeping.

They scooted back into their seats, and Adrien realized that had managed to miss the first couple minutes of the movie. Honestly, he couldn't care less. He glanced at Marinette, who gave him a small smile and a shrug before looking up at the movie.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry to cut this chapter off here. And, even more importantly, sorry for the HUGE wait on this chapter! I had a HUGE deadline at work and didn't have the time to get around to this. Hopefully the next chapter should be up sometime later this week and you guys won't have to wait so long. But, for sure, the next chapter will be a continuation of their date ^^

I found it really interesting that so many people were surprised by Adrien's answer! I feel like, if Adrien hadn't heard Ladybug's honest answer beforehand, then he probably wouldn't have taken Marinette up on a date. Honestly, he probably doesn't know what to expect. And, more than anything, he's probably wrapped up more in the IDEA that someone else likes him, rather than the fact that it's Marinette specifically. I dunno, do other people do this? Like, once you find out that someone is interested in you (or if you start to suspect they are), suddenly you start thinking more about "What WOULD it be like to date them?" It can be flattering to find out, especially if you have self esteem issues and figured that no one liked you. Or maybe this is just me… haha

I kind of struggled with this chapter. Oddly enough, it's REALLY hard to write bashful Marinette without being in her head. So hopefully it's decent and you guys enjoy it. There were parts where I felt like banging my head against a wall, just because I had such a hard time making the awkwardness sound natural (if that makes sense xD)

As I was writing the beginning of the date, Owl City's Fuzzy Blue Lights came on, and I decided to make it raining outside. I personally LOVE when it rains, and somehow it seemed to fit. But, once Marinette dragged Adrien out of the movie theater, I switched to Keith Urban's Somebody Like You (one of the very few country songs that I adore), because I love the fluttery, gentle, just-falling-in-love feel of that song and felt like it fit Adrien's mood perfectly.

Most importantly, THANK YOU GUYS. So much! Seriously, every day I get notifications of more people who have read, followed, or commented on this story, and it's just mind boggling. You guys are simply amazing, and I can't thank you enough for the support! I should be getting around to replying to any comments I've missed in the next day or so. I hope this fic continues to live up to your expectations. I would love to hear if it does (or if it doesn't ^^) so I can keep trying to make it the best I can. As always, feel free to come squeal about LadyNoir-or anything else-on Tumblr! (Konekat)


	6. Flour

Marinette stretched as the ending credits began to scroll on the screen. It had been a cute movie, but she always got sore after sitting in a theater for so long. Beside her Adrien shifted, picking his coat up from the back of his chair.

Marinette gathered up her own coat and umbrella, avoiding glancing over at him. Adrien had looked over at her a few times during the movie, and every time she had frozen like a statue, too afraid that she might do something wrong.

She slipped her coat on, feeling the gumballs rattle in her pocket, and couldn't help a small blush from creeping onto her face. Adrien probably thought she was a _complete_ weirdo. But he had just looked so uncomfortable and small. Marinette still didn't know much about what Adrien's home life was like, aside from the fact that even receiving a simple present from his father was enough to put him over the moon. But even so, she couldn't bear to sit there while he forced himself to watch that short film.

The rest of the patrons were already filing out of the theater. Marinette glanced nervously at Adrien to make sure he was ready before heading down the stairs and toward the exit.

Her dread grew with each step. This was it: once they left, it would be over, and that would be that. She didn't fool herself. She knew she had completely blown the date with her inability to speak coherently. But only because it was _Adrien_. He would probably be too nice to say anything, but there was no doubt about it.

They walked in silence out of the theater, through the lobby, and out onto the lamplit street. By now the rain had stopped, and the evening twilight glimmered on the soaked city streets.

"The movie was cute, huh?" Adrien asked behind her. Marinette froze, then quickly berated herself. _You can't just keep ignoring him!_ she yelled at herself. _At least say something!_

"Yeah, it was," she said, turning towards him, though still averting her gaze. "Sorry to make you sit through a kids movie, though."

"Not at all, I really enjoyed it," Adrien assured her. He sounded so sincere that Marinette glanced up at him, just to be sure he wasn't lying.

He had the sweetest smile on his face, his green eyes lit up as he watched her, and Marinette felt her lungs grate to a halt. Either he was the world's greatest liar, or he was actually be honest. Relieved, Marinette felt her shoulders inch down a bit and a gave him a small smile in return.

"It's still fairly early, you know," he told her, glancing toward the colorful sky. "Would you like to go for a walk before heading home?"

He wasn't jumping ship. He still wanted to spend time with her. _He was asking her to hang out with him_.

Marinette was fairly certain that her mouth had been hanging open a little longer than was normal, and she quickly forced herself to shut it. "Yeah," she managed to croak out. "That'd be nice."

Adrien's face lit up with another smile, and Marinette's heart did its best to beat its way out of her chest.

"Cool," Adrien told her, starting toward the street corner. "The river's just ahead, how about there?"

Marinette nodded silently, not quite believing what she was hearing. A walk with Adrien? Along the Seine? Had she fallen asleep in the theater or something? Because this had to be a dream.

Although some of the tension had dissipated during the movie, Adrien still found himself struggling to hold a conversation with Marinette. But gosh darn it, after that stunt she had pulled in the movie theater he _wanted_ to try to get her out of her shell, if only just a little bit.

Adrien glanced at her as they rounded a corner, the river coming into view. There had to be _something_ they could talk about that wasn't the weather. Right? Wracking his brain, he threw out the first topic that came to mind. "So, do you watch any TV shows?"

Marinette looked like a startled deer, and for a moment Adrien was afraid that she would be too clammed up to answer. But then her grip on her folded umbrella tightened, and she quietly replied, "Not really, actually. I'm usually so busy with school and—" she stumbled, tripping over her own words before quickly continuing, "—and home that I don't have the time."

"Really?" Adrien asked, a bit surprised. "I didn't realize your home life was so busy. I don't really watch TV either, actually. I've got so many different lessons that I never have the time."

"I don't know how you do it," Marinette squeaked, sneaking a quick glance at him. When she noticed his attention, she quickly turned away again. "That must be a lot to juggle."

"It's really not so difficult, since my dad's secretary schedules everything for me," Adrien told her. Everyone always made such a big deal out of it, but it wasn't like he had a choice. Besides, his home life was _definitely_ not interesting. "What about you?" he asked, deflecting the conversation back her way. "Is it fun being a baker's daughter?"

"Eh, sometimes," Marinette replied, nervously twisting her umbrella. "More often it's just annoying."

"Annoying?" Adrien asked incredulously, shooting her a smile. "What's annoying about always having freshly baked snacks around?"

"Well _that_ part is all well and fine," Marinette told him slowly. Then, taking a deep breath, she continued, "But there's just never a day off. Even on holidays people need their bread."

"Huh, I hadn't thought of that," Adrien replied. "That's gotta be tiring."

"It can be," she told him. "But more than anything else, it's all the little things that are annoying."

"Like what?" he asked, unable to help a small chuckle.

Marinette blushed, looking away again. "I don't want to ramble about my parents' boring bakery…." she mumbled.

"No, no, I want to hear," Adrien assured her.

"Well…" She glanced at him, as if she didn't quite believe he would want to know more. And just like that, something changed. Adrien couldn't quite put his finger on it, but suddenly Marinette shifted. The last bit of tension that hovered in her shoulders finally left, her tone finally lost its waver, and she even gave him a hesitant smile.

"My dad, for instance," she explained, gaining a bit more confidence with each word. "He gets up early every morning, and so he's always in bed by 7pm. Which means our _entire_ evening gets moved up a couple hours. We eat early, we hang out a bit, and then he's already hitting the sack.

"Then there are the mornings," she continued, shaking her head. "He's up by four every morning. No alarms, nothing—just _up_. I have _no_ idea how he does it. But as soon as he gets down to the kitchen, it's like a marching band is parading through the house. No matter _how_ hard he tries to stay quiet, the clatter always wakes me up. It doesn't help that my room is right above the kitchen."

As she talked, Marinette tucked her umbrella into her purse, freeing up her hands to use for emphasis. "Plus, in the summer, my room gets _unbearably_ hot. All the heat from the ovens rises up—right into my room. I usually have to escape onto the roof to get a decent dose of fresh air.

"And then there's the flour," she added, rolling her eyes.

"The flour?" Adrien asked, trying not to grin too hard.

" _Yes_ ," Marinette groaned, shoulders sagging as she made a face. "It gets _everywhere_! I don't understand it! It's always on the countertops, no matter how often my mom wipes them down. I guess downstairs it's to be expected, but it doesn't just _stay_ down there. I find it on the bathroom mirror, or on my bedroom windows. If I'm not careful, it gets in my hair when I tie it back—which of course looks _ridiculous_ against my black pigtails. Even when I get dressed, I'll often find it on my shirt, or on my pants. I can't escape it, even if there is legitimately _no explanation_ for how it got there!"

Adrien couldn't help picturing Marinette dressed in a chef's outfit, covered in flour, and next thing he knew he was bent over laughing. "Wow," he told her, shaking his head as he glanced at her. "That's really something."

"You don't believe me," Marinette accused, glancing at him. The shy girl was still there, in the flicker of uncertainty that flitted through her smile. But it was quickly replaced by a grim grin as Marinette narrowed her eyes. "But I'm telling you, it's completely true. Come into the shop some day and see for yourself."

"I definitely will," he told her. "I need to see this."

A slight blush rose on Marinette's cheeks once more, her mouth snapping closed as if only just realizing exactly how much she had been talking.

"Do you have a lot of responsibilities too?" Adrien prompted her, hoping to coax the animated, talkative Marinette back out. "You said you're often busy at home, right?"

"Oh, yeah, that," Marinette said hesitantly, rubbing her arm as if trying to find the right words to explain. "I mean, it's not always that busy—only sometimes. Around the holidays it gets really hectic, especially Christmas and Easter, because so many people put in orders. So I wind up spending a lot of my would-be free time helping them out instead. Plus, I often have to help clean up the kitchen and the shop in the evenings once I get back from school. And if my parents ever want to take an evening off, then it falls on me to watch the shop. So, yeah, I guess I would say there are quite a few responsibilities."

"Even so, I think it'd be kind of fun to work in a bakery," Adrien told her.

"Really?" Marinette asked him, making a face. "I think it'd be way cooler to work in the fashion industry."

"Eh," Adrien said blandly. "It's not really as exciting as it sounds."

"What about your modeling?" Marinette pressed. "Isn't that fun?"

"I wouldn't really call it fun…" Adrien replied, glancing at her uncomfortably.

"How so?" Marinette asked, looking genuinely interested. "Don't you get to just stand there and have people take your picture?"

"Kind of?" Adrien told her, struggling to find a way to put his feelings into words. "But it's not anywhere near as fun as you make it sound. In reality, you just kind of stand there forever while the photographer orders you around. They could spend two hours taking photos and only get a handful of decent shots out of the whole thing. I mainly do it because my dad tells me to. I'm already so busy with fencing and Chinese lessons, but he insists that I keep up with it. And so most of my free time goes to doing that."

"Wow, that kind of stinks," Marinette replied with a frown. "I thought you modeled because you liked it. You mean all this time it's something he's been forcing you to do?"

"Well, it was kind of fun at first," Adrien remedied. "But being forced to do it just drains the enjoyment out of it."

"I'm sorry!" Marinette said suddenly, stopping in her tracks. Her abruptness took Adrien off guard, and he quickly stopped and turned to face her.

"I have to admit, I always think you look so cool when you're modeling!" Marinette explained, not quite meeting his gaze again. She wrung her hands together nervously. "Your photos always turn out awesome. But I didn't realize it stressed you out so much!"

"No, really, it's not a big deal," Adrien assured her, her conviction and sincerity causing his own cheeks to turn a little pink. "And sometimes it _can_ be neat. So you shouldn't apologize! I'm flattered that you think they look good."

Beside him, Marinette was turning her own shade of pink yet again, and this time Adrien found he wasn't sure what he could say to clear away the awkward silence. Even so, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence.

Without a word, the two of them resumed walking, letting the chill of the damp evening air sweep the awkwardness away behind them. Adrien even thought it was rather nice, even with the silence, just to walk together quietly as the last of the twilight began to slip away.

They arrived at the park opposite Marinette's house. Adrien opened the metal gate leading into it, holding it for Marinette.

"After you, milady."

Adrien froze as soon as he said it, suddenly realizing how it sounded.

Marinette stopped short of the gate, giving Adrien an odd look, and his stomach sank. Why had he done that? Didn't Marinette find that kind of thing annoying? He silently cursed himself. He couldn't treat Marinette like Ladybug. And just like that, he was thinking of the masked heroine once again.

"Sorry," he said, quickly looking away. With a half-forced laugh, he added, "I forgot—you're not a fan of smooth talkers, right?"

"Oh, no," Marinette told him hurriedly, walking through the gate. He could see her still blushing as he followed her onto the path. "I didn't mean to imply that the other day. I mean, holding the gate is actually kind of sweet. Besides, I don't want you to watch how you act just for my sake."

It was simple, really. Not at all groundbreaking. And yet her words hit him like a pile of bricks to the chest. He had been telling himself all evening, and yet this more than anything reaffirmed what he already knew: Marinette just wanted to spend time with _him_. She wasn't disappointed that he didn't like modeling. She worried about accidentally hurting his feelings. And she even found his goofy gestures _sweet_. Adrien wasn't sure his heart knew how to work properly anymore.

"Thanks," he told her quietly, following her into the quickly darkening park. _Thanks_ didn't even begin to cover what those words meant to him, but Adrien didn't trust himself to say anything more.

Marinette replied with a gentle smile, setting Adrien's head spinning in a dizzying fashion. It still hadn't settled by the time they reached Marinette's front door.

"I had a lot of fun," Adrien told her, hoping his smile could convey just how truthful that statement was.

"Me too," Marinette replied, curling in slightly on herself once more. "Thanks for treating me."

"Maybe we could do this again sometime?" Adrien asked.

Marinette's eyes widened and her entire face lit up, a hesitant smile spreading across her lips. The sheer amount of joy on her face left Adrien speechless.

"Y-yeah," she told him. Then, more firmly, she said, "I would really like that. Well, goodnight."

Adrien watched as she slipped inside, then started down the street and texted his driver to pick him up in a few blocks.

That … had been unexpectedly wonderful. He kicked himself for never noticing how utterly adorable Marinette was before tonight. Once her nervousness lifted, she was like an entirely different person underneath. And she liked him exactly the way he was.

It was amazing how utterly relieving that realization was. Adrien had spent so much of his life trying to live up to his father's expectations, and to be told to just be _himself_... It was as if he had been standing under a weight and only just realized that all he had to do was step out of its shadow.

If only Ladybug could see him the same way as Marinette did.

The thought was there before he could stop it, and as frustrated as Adrien was with himself for comparing the two, he couldn't deny how much he wished it was true. It was stupid, of course, because none of that mattered if Ladybug wasn't interested in the first place. And Marinette was very much interested and very much paying attention to him, in addition to be sweet and adorable and far too kind. But that didn't stop the pain in his chest as his driver finally pulled up to take him home.

* * *

 **A/N:** Trying to decide whose PoV to use when for this chapter was TORTURE. Honestly, if I were being selfish, I would have just made the entire chapter from Adrien's POV again. We all already know exactly how in love Marinette is with Adrien. And this chapter, especially, is when Adrien really starts to see Marinette for who she is and realizes that she's really interesting, and that once she gets over her embarrassment around him she is actually really wonderful. I had the flow of the whole scene planned, and when I was trying to figure out where we could get Marinette's PoV, I was like, "But I want to be with Adrien when she says this! And I want to hear what he's thinking when he shares this! And what about this line!?" Hahaha. But at the same time, that just didn't seem fair to Marinette (and to you guys) to completely shut her out from what must be the single greatest night of her life up to this point xD So I gave her a tiny bit at the beginning. A teeny, tiny bit.

Also, can I just point out that the reason I had so much fun coming up with this story is for the very same reason that it's named what it is? Ladybug turns Chat down because she likes someone else (him), and so Adrien tries to get over Ladybug by dating someone new (her), but when he's with Marinette he can't stop thinking about Ladybug (still her), and in the meantime Marinette feels bad because she's using Chat's advice to date Adrien (still him). Just, YES. Hahaha. It's all the angst and drama of a love triangle (/love square) without the annoying outcome of having to choose one over the other in the end. Complicated, but fun as all hell.

I had SO much fun with this chapter. Coming up with the reasons Marinette gets frustrated with her family and the bakery was especially fun. For instance, my dad wakes up every morning at five, often without an alarm, and I figured Marinette's dad would probably be the same way after doing the same thing every day. Also, I'm faaaaairly certain that Marinette's room most definitely is NOT above the kitchen in the show—from the looks of it, it's above the shop itself. Buuut, I thought it would be more fun if she could complain about the noise and heat from the kitchen, so I took some artistic liberties ;) Oh, and I completely made up the flour thing. It's probably way over-exaggerated, although I could see flour being pervasive in a bakery. Plus, how funny would it be if Marinette went out as Ladybug one evening and Chat noticed she had flour in her pigtails? xDDD I feel like that's one revelation story that hasn't been done yet.

Chat: Uh, My Lady… is that flour in your hair?  
Ladybug: What? Oh, yeah, whatever.  
Chat: … Were you at a bakery?  
Ladybug: Yeah, it's no big deal.  
Chat: ...  
Ladybug: What?

xDDD I feel like in that situation, Chat probably wouldn't be convinced right away, but he'd be pretty suspicious. And then he would start to notice that Ladybug always smells like freshly baked bread, and maybe she even brings him a treat one day, and he finally has to admit to himself that she's obviously Marinette. Anyway, that's obviously not how the plot of this fic is going to go, but I feel like it'd be a fun one to write! ^^

The amount of love you guys give this fic never ceases to amaze me. Thank you for all the lovely comments, likes, and follows, and simply for reading! We're more than halfway done now, so hopefully you enjoy the second half of the ride. Things should be going downhill pretty soon here… (heheheh) As always, feel free to come hang with me on Tumblr (Konekat)! Fangirling (or -guying, or -peopling) is always heartily approved ^^


	7. The Flame

"Take that!" the man on the rooftop yelled, raining fire down on the Parisians dining at the cafe below. "That will teach you to try to take away The Flame's heat!"

Screams erupted and the lunch goers fled as the umbrellas and tables began to catch fire.

Deciding she had seen enough, Marinette ran into the hedge-lined outdoor cafe, slinging her yoyo toward the akuma-infected man.

"Not so fast!" she called up to him, her yoyo wrapping around his wrist. The man paused in his burning crusade and focused his attention on her.

"Ah, Ladybug," he growled angrily. "You can't stop me!"

Marinette rolled to the side as a spurt of flames shot her way, scorching the sidewalk where she had been standing.

She grimaced as she surveyed the damage. Taking care of this man was not going to be easy. Which wasn't _fair_. Lunch was already half over. If she didn't wrap this up soon, she was going to be late to class. And if she was late to class, she would risk getting a detention. And she absolutely _could not_ get a detention today, because Adrien had asked her to go out for ice cream after school.

Marinette's heart skipped a bit, even as she dodged yet another blast of fire. She had a second date with Adrien! And she wasn't going to let some fire-blasting, akuma-controlled baddie keep her from it.

"Why don't you come down here and stop ruining everyone's lunch?" Marinette called to the man, using her yoyo as a shield.

The man leapt off the roof top, using twin jets of flames from his hands to land safely on the sidewalk below. For a moment, Marinette thought he might actually be coming down to talk. But then the man narrowed his eyes and shot fire towards her once more.

Marinette quickly used her yoyo as a shield. But after a moment, she realized the fire hadn't been aimed at her—instead, the man was throwing it at the the hedges that surrounded the cafe. She watched with growing panic as the bushes caught flame, surrounding her with a wall of fire.

Ahead of her the man was slowly walking towards her, pinning her ever closer to the burning bushes. "Nowhere to run, Ladybug," the man growled, grinning in a way that gave Marinette shivers.

"Ladybug, look out!"

Marinette looked up just in time to see Chat Noir swipe a fizzling black claw across the cafe's sign. The large sign teetered before careening to the ground, crashing into The Flame and pinning him to the ground.

Before Marinette could take a step closer, The Flame roared, shooting flames in a large berth around himself. Marinette quickly dove for the neighboring building, taking cover from the firestorm.

Chat Noir landed beside her, glancing her over anxiously before hurriedly looking away. The gesture only made her feel bad—she had been so upset with him the other day, but now things were even more awkward. "You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah. Thanks for the save," she told him, trying to brush away her awkwardness. She peeked around the side of the building to where The Flame was still throwing fire balls. "What should we do? There's no way for us to get close to him like this."

"The sign is already starting to melt," Chat told her, not quite meeting her eyes. "We should duck out of here quickly before he gets free so we can think of a plan."

Marinette hesitated—if they waited, she might be late for class. Still, Chat was right. They needed time to find a way to get the upper hand. With a sigh, she relented. "Alright, you lead the way."

Chat quickly shimmied up the brick wall, then darted across the rooftops. Trying to push away her uneasiness, Marinette slung her yoyo and quickly sailed after him.

After crossing a few blocks, Chat slipped back down to the ground. Marinette followed suit, landing beside him in an alleyway.

"Got any ideas?' she asked him.

"Well, actually..." he said hesitantly, glancing toward his hand. Just then, his Miraculous beeped.

"Oh—oh!" Marinette said, realizing that his transformation was going to wear off soon. _Stupid, pay attention!_ she scolded herself. What should she do? She didn't want to be here—would Chat even _want_ her to know who he was now? She shoved those thoughts away to focus on the matter at hand. "Should I try to track him down alone while you recharge?"

"No!" Chat said suddenly, taking Marinette off guard. He was watching her with a worried look, but he quickly dropped his gaze again. "This guy seems really dangerous. I really think we need a plan. I just need a to find a secluded place for a moment."

"Right," Marinette replied awkwardly, glancing around. A small deli across the street caught her eye. "What about there?" she asked, pointing toward the store front. "They have a restroom, don't they?"

Chat sighed in visible relief. "Great. I'll be just a moment."

Marinette watched him hurry toward the deli and hesitated. Should she follow him, or would that be weird? But if he was going into the restroom it wouldn't matter, would it? Annoyed with her uncertainty, Marinette quickly dashed across the street after him and followed him into the shop.

"Do you have any Gouda?" Chat was asking the man at the counter. Before Marinette had a chance to question his odd request, Chat hurried back to toward the single restroom with his cheese.

"Everything alright, Ladybug?" the deli owner asked, giving her a concerned look.

"Yeah, sorry. We'll be just a moment," she assured him. "Would you mind not letting anyone back? We need to take shelter for a quick moment."

The man's uncertainty firmed into determination. "Sure. Don't you worry—leave it to me."

"Thanks!' Marinette told him, heading to the back of the store. She caught a glimpse of Chat slipping into the bathroom before shutting the door.

Suddenly feeling out of place, Marinette shuffled her foot and glanced around. "You sure you don't need anything else?" she asked.

"No, I'm fine," Chat told her, his voice muffled from the other side of the door. "I just—"

He was cut off by a loud hum, which was quickly followed by the sound of animated munching. Suddenly, Marinette remembered the cheese he had asked for—was he _eating_ at a time like this? Then, feeling stupid, it occurred to Marinette that Chat might not be alone on the other side of the door.

 _Of course, dummy!_ she realized. _You have Tikki. Who's to say Chat Noir doesn't have the help of a kwami?_ Marinette couldn't believe she had never considered it before. Of course, Tikki had never talked about other kwamis, so it had really never crossed her mind. But given the similarity of their Miraculous, it only made sense.

For a minute Marinette just stood in awkward silence, listening to the munching on the other side of the door. With every passing moment, her uncertainty grew. As angry as she was with how Chat had handled the situation the other day, they were supposed to be a team. And he _had_ seemed genuinely sorry. So why were things still so awkward?

Taking a deep breath, Marinette finally said, "You know, I have to to thank you."

She waited a moment, and when Chat didn't reply, she continued. "I, uh. I finally worked up the courage to confess to the guy I like. And everything worked out. It's thanks to you for giving me a push to finally do it. … I really appreciate it."

For a moment there was no reply. Just as Marinette was starting to worry, however, the door finally swung open.

"That's great, Ladybug," Chat Noir told her with a smile. "I'm really happy for you. I actually started seeing someone, too."

 _Wait, what?_

Without waiting for her response, Chat hurried toward the front of the store. Kicking herself into gear, Marinette quickly trailed after him.

"Anyway, I noticed earlier that The Flame was wearing a watch," Chat told her as he hurried onto the street. "I bet that's where the akuma is hiding."

"Right," Marinette said, forcing herself to focus on the task at hand. "Okay, that's a good start. But how are we supposed to avoid his fire?"

"I've been thinking about it. It'd probably be better for us to keep our distance," Chat told her. "He didn't seem to be able to throw his fire very far. Once we find him, you can stay back and use your Lucky Charm, and then use your yoyo to try to nab his watch."

Marinette nodded, trying to keep her head from spinning. Chat was dating someone?

 _So much for being earnest and sincere_ , she thought sourly. _For someone who was professing his love just the other day, he gave up rather easily._

Instantly, Marinette felt ashamed. That wasn't fair. Chat had seemed completely serious the other night when he had wished her luck. And what did it matter, anyway? If he had found somebody, then that was great for him. It might even work out positively for her. Maybe Chat Noir would finally settle his flirty ways and stop making silly moves on her. After all, he hadn't tried even once to flirt with her today.

But the thought didn't cheer her up at all. He might not have flirted with her, but things were far from normal between them. And, with a grimace, Marinette admitted to herself that she could have treated him a little nicer last time, despite her own frustration. But she didn't know how to make things better.

Her thoughts were cut off by a wave of flames, which suddenly cascaded from the rooftops. Marinette and Chat both rolled out of the way, darting in opposite directions.

"Not so fast!" The Flame called, turning to chase after Marinette. She glanced over her shoulder, only to see Chat Noir turn on his heel and dash back toward The Flame.

"Chat!" she called, horrified as she watched him tackle the man. But Chat waved at her, urging her further away. Suddenly it clicked—Chat had told her to get far away. She hadn't realized he meant to use his own Miraculous as bait by staying close.

Anxiety boiling in her stomach, Marinette quickly slung herself onto the rooftops, far enough to be out of The Flame's range, but close enough to keep an eye on the battle.

"Lucky Charm!" she cried, keeping a nervous eye as Chat battled The Flame below. Her yoyo glowed, and a boomerang dropped into her hands.

Before Marinette even had time to consider her options, The Flame knocked Chat to the ground and slowly began to approach him, fire glowing in his hand.

Without a second thought, Marinette leapt down to the down to the sidewalk. "Over here!" she called to The Flame, catching his attention. She threw the boomerang with all her might.

The Flame easily ducked out of the way. "Ha!" he taunted, throwing an arc of flames in her direction. "That was a lousy thro—"

He was cut off as the boomerang swept back around and barreled into his legs, toppling him over. Quick as she could, Marinette slung her yoyo at his watch, yanging it from him and quickly throwing it to the ground. She purified the akuma, then quickly rushed over to Chat, who was pushing himself up off of the ground.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, looking him up and down.

Chat smiled awkwardly, brushing off his suit. "Yeah, I'm fine. You should probably fix the city, though."

Feeling silly, Marinette hurried over and picked up the boomerang. She tossed it into the air, then watched as the familiar swarm of hearts doused the flames and put the city back to rights.

Job now done, Marinette turned back to Chat. "Well," he told her, as if unsure how exactly to respond. "I have to get going. But, well… good luck to both of us, right?"

"Oh, yeah," Marinette replied, forcing herself to smile. "Until next time." She watched as Chat used his baton to vault away, flitting across the rooftops.

Her Miraculous beeped, and with a start Marinette realized she also needed to get moving. She dashed into an alley and de-transformed, holding her purse open for Tikki.

But Tikki surprised her by hovering outside instead. "Are you alright?" Tikki asked with a worried frown.

"Yeah," Marinette assured her hurriedly. "I just… wish things weren't still so awkward."

"I'm sure you guys will work it out," Tikki told her, bumping into Marinette's cheek affectionately. "You're teammates."

"Thanks," Marinette replied, giving her a warm smile. "We better head back to school now."

Marinette held open her purse as Tikki slipped inside, then headed back onto the street. A glance at her watch revealed she had just enough time to make it back to school, and Marinette sighed in relief. Still, she couldn't quite squash the uneasiness she felt. Despite Tikki's encouragement, Marinette couldn't help but feel that working things out with Chat wasn't going to be quite so simple.

* * *

 **A/N:** I totally wasn't going to write the akuma attack. I have such a hard time writing these scenes, and I didn't want it to turn out too long. I dunno, maybe it's just me, but trying to come up with a bad guy, and then to come up with how the actual battle unfolds, and then how Lucky Charm will work is all very difficult. But when I was writing it, trying to begin the chapter right as the battle was ending just didn't feel right. I hope that it's interesting, at least!

I actually got the idea for The Flame from the guy who makes Sriracha. I remember hearing a while ago that people wanted to shut his facility down because of the intense fumes that it emits. So that's kind of the idea here: he's a man who makes hot sauce, and his plant is going to be shut down because of the extreme "heat" given off by the chilis at the facility. So in retaliation he goes around lighting everything on fire xD But seriously, I REALLY struggle with writing these action scenes. I'm kind of relieved to say that this is the last akuma attack that will take place in this fic. (Although never fear, there WILL be more LadyNoir interactions later on ;D)

I can now say with about 95% certainty that this fic will be 11 chapters, so there are four more still to go. That said, the last two chapters will basically be one long, extended scene. So, even though it might not sound like it, we're getting really close to the end!

ALSO, question! I've been getting further and further pulled into ML hell, and I have SO MANY fic ideas. I'm definitely going to finish up It's Complicated first, but then I want to start another. I have a few ideas:

1) Future AU where Ladybug and Chat never figured out each other's identities before going off to university, and wind up running into each other again in their mid-20s. (This one would likely be M rated… Although I would be able to pull it down into more of a T+ rating/upper YA range depending on what people want.)

2) Current day fic with Adrien and Marinette pretending to date due to extenuating circumstances. (G/T rating, depending)

3) One-shot reveal fic based on Chat noticing flour in Ladybug's hair. (G rating)

4) Marinette waking up one day only to realize that she's got a huge crush on Chat Noir, and being really salty about it. (BECAUSE YOU KNOW SHE WOULD BE. This would probably be G/T.)

5) A fic examining Plagg and Tikki's relationship. Because let's face it, these two probably are well aware of each other, and for some reason I feel like they wouldn't get along the greatest. I'm more on the fence with this one—I don't have a plot figured out for it, unlike all the others. But I think it would be an interesting idea, even as a oneshot or something, y'know? (G rating)

These are in order of how much of the plot I have developed, with the first being most developed. Are you guys interested in seeing any of these fics in particular? ^^

Also, THANK YOU GUYS! SO MUCH! The response from all of you has been absolutely AMAZING. I love getting to hear what you guys are enjoying in the story. It's been seriously overwhelming. Thank you so much for reading. Feel free to come gush about Miraculous Ladybug with me over on Tumblr (Konekat)! Although I've forgotten in recent chapters to include the warning that my blog is NSFW—sorry about that!


	8. What She Deserves

**A/N:** OKAY, before we get on to the next chapter I need to just say something really important: you guys are freaking amazing. Do you understand that? Like, seriously. To everyone who has commented, and to everyone that has liked this, and ESPECIALLY to everyone who has read this, THANK YOU. It's gotten to the point where I'm constantly freaking out and getting notifications of people either liking this story or commenting, and just see how many people have read it makes me so happy. Plus, your responses about which fics you'd like to see are phenomenal! Anyway, I'm going to stop rambling, but seriously, you guys are the best and I love you all omg 3

* * *

 _I finally worked up the courage to confess to the guy I like._

The words kept repeating in Adrien's head, relentlessly hounding his thoughts. It was all he could think about, both as he had trudged into the classroom after fighting the akuma and now as he sat in the final class of the day. Adrien tried to pay attention to the teacher—he really did—but his mind refused to focus.

Adrien had thought that he had prepared himself. He thought that he had at least put up a decent amount of distance in the past few days. Enough that it would have cushioned the blow. And yet those words had torn through him with terrifying strength, sharp and streamlined right into his chest. It had made him realize that he was fooling himself. Distance? _Pssht_. There was no distancing himself from her.

It was agonizing, tearing at his heart from so many directions. He had meant what he said—he really was happy for her. Ladybug was the single most amazing person Adrien had ever met. Probably of anyone on the entire planet. Of _course_ her crush had said yes. She had seemed so genuinely happy about it.

But that didn't stop the ache, which was unending, and oppressive, and _physical_. It throbbed through him, and though he couldn't pinpoint _where_ it dwelled, it made him want to double over. How was it possible to be so genuinely happy for someone and torn to pieces with grief all at the same time?

 _It's thanks to you for giving me a push to finally do it._

That, more than anything, was what left Adrien's hollow stomach twisting. He had urged her to do this. In a way, this was _his fault_. Perhaps she would have worked up the courage on her own eventually—it's not like he could have prevented it. But that didn't erase the fact that it was by his own hand that the situation had progressed so quickly.

 _And yet_... And yet she _trusted_ him. Trusted him enough that it had been _his_ advice that she had taken. And even as his heartache over the matter bore down on him, Adrien couldn't help the small, giddy fluttering that ghosted through his middle. It was such a little comment, and yet it belied how much Ladybug relied on him. _Listened_ to him. To call the situation bittersweet was a vast understandment.

Adrien started as the bell rang and the classroom sprang to life around him. He hastily shoved thoughts of Ladybug into the back of his mind as he gathered together his bookbag.

"Hey."

Adrien turned to find Marinette standing shyly next to his desk, a slight blush spreading above her small smile. Guilt wormed through his gut, and he quickly forced himself to smile.

"Hey!" he replied, standing up. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yup!" Marinette squeaked, though this time she didn't glance away. Her embarrassment seemed to have shrunk since their first date—still hovering around the edges of her demeanor, but not quite as debilitating. The fact that she was becoming more comfortable around him made Adrien happy. Somehow, despite all of his fumbling, he seemed to have done at least _one thing_ right.

They headed out of the classroom together (Adrien did not miss the grin on Alya's face as they passed) and worked their way toward the school's front doors. Still struggling to push away his guilt, Adrien asked, "What did you think of that History essay last night?"

Marinette shrugged modestly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Actually…" she said slowly, as if trying to decide what to say. "I was kind of excited. Because, you know, I normally struggle to come up with a good thesis sentence."

There it was again. It had taken Adrien a little while to figure out: a large part of Marinette's hesitancy seemed to stem from some fear that she was talking too much. Which was ridiculous, because so far he had found everything she had to say really interesting. And though she did tend to become very animated and excited, Adrien found her energy completely adorable.

"Oh?" Adrien asked, hoping she would pick up on the fact that he _wanted_ to hear what she had to say.

"Yeah," she replied, smiling hesitantly at him. "Usually I agonize _forever_ over formulating my thesis. But the prompt this time was really interesting, and the idea just kind of came to me."

Adrien couldn't help a small smile as he listened, watching as Marinette slowly became so engulfed in her explanation that she forgot to be worried. For a moment, Adrien wondered over the fact that talking with Marinette about even _homework assignments_ was somehow fun. He hadn't particularly liked the prompt they had been given, but Marinette had an interesting take on it, and just listening to her gush about her idea was enough to almost make him forget about Ladybug.

Adrien's heart froze. _Enough_. So what if Ladybug wasn't interested in him? Wasn't having fun with Marinette enough? _You need to get_ over _her_ , Adrien scolded himself. As he thought it, though, he realized that he couldn't. As much as he wanted to, there was no getting over Ladybug. At least not so quickly. She had meant so much for him to so long, and just trying to forget his deep-rooted feelings was not as simple as just throwing something away. The aching pain returned in full force, pulsing through his chest and stomach and refusing to be ignored.

It just wasn't fair. Not to him, and not to Marinette either. They were supposed to be going on a date. His ridiculous infatuation with Ladybug didn't change the fact that he had been the one to ask Marinette out. How disrespectful, to think about someone else when he was supposed to be spending time with her. Adrien struggled to push Ladybug to the back of his mind once more, but now that the door was open the poisonous thoughts kept pouring in.

"Adrien?"

With a start, he realized that Marinette was watching him with concern. Mind racing, Adrien tried to recall what she had been saying and drew a complete blank. The guilt he had been trying to brush off came back with overwhelming force.

"Are you alright?" Marinette asked, eyebrows lowering in obvious concern.

"I…" What was he supposed to say? _Oh, sorry. I was just too busy pining after someone completely unattainable_? Adrien felt a strong wave of disgust for himself. "Sorry. I'm … not feeling all that great."

It was kind of true.

"Oh no, are you sick?" Marinette asked, leaning closer as her worry grew. She seemed to have forgotten her own insecurities in the face of her genuine concern. "I'm sorry, I should have noticed," she gushed, looking him over as if searching for some way to help him. Her sincerity only made Adrien more upset with himself.

"No, I just, my stomach hurts a bit," Adrien said lamely.

This was despicable. He was lying? And for what—so he could skip out on their date and go home to wallow in his own agony? But even as he directed these accusing thoughts at himself, Adrien couldn't bring himself to continue their date as if nothing were wrong. They hadn't even made it two blocks from the school, and he already was having trouble giving Marinette the attention she deserved. Better to lie and pretend to be sick than to risk the chance that he would make Marinette feel that she wasn't worth paying attention to.

Marinette was still studying him closely, biting her lower lip. "Would it be easiest to call your driver to bring you back home?" she suggested. "Or do you need to find somewhere to sit down?"

Adrien's heart was breaking all over again, the jagged shards burning holes through his chest and the searing pain hissing at him with ever growing self-loathing. He was making her worry for _nothing_ —for something she should be _angry_ with him about, not showering him with kindness he definitely didn't deserve.

"No, no," he assured her. "I'll just call Denis to bring the car—it should only be a moment." He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text telling Denis where to meet him. Then, slipping his phone back into his pocket, Adrien turned to Marinette.

"I'm really sorry about this," he told her lamely. Sorry didn't begin to cover it. What kind of jerk asked a girl to go out only to turn around and lie in order to get out of it?

"Don't apologize," Marinette told him, giving him a reassuring smile. "It's far more important that you get home and get some rest. I'll wait with you until the car gets here."

"No, really, you don't have to do that," Adrien told her, stomach sinking. "I'll be fine—"

"Nonsense," Marinette said, cutting him short. "I'll just worry otherwise. You sure you don't want to sit down?"

"Yeah, it's okay," Adrien replied miserably. "Thank you. Really."

"It's not a problem, Adrien," Marinette told him, the slightest pink tinging her cheeks.

Luckily, Denis arrived within a minute, the white car pulling up along the sidewalk. Adrien was ashamed at the relief he felt at the sight of it.

"Are you okay getting home?" Adrien asked Marinette.

"Don't worry about me," she said, waving him off. "I live really close. You just get home and try to feel better."

"Thanks," he told her. "I'm really sorry." Then he slipped into the backseat.

"Home, young master?" Denis asked from the front.

"Yes, please, Denis," Adrien replied. He gave Marinette a quick wave through the window, then slumped in relief as the car pulled away.

 _Happy now_? he asked himself sourly. _Not only were you ignoring Marinette—now you've made her worry as well._ Adrien dropped his head into his hands, suppressing a groan. She was so sweet. He was going to have to find a way to make it up to her. Maybe, tomorrow, he could apologize, and take her out on another date as an apology.

His heart wasn't in it though. Because what if _that_ backfired too? What if he was still distracted? It was becoming increasingly apparent that he couldn't just _force_ himself to stop thinking about Ladybug. She crept in through the cracks, haunting him.

And, with a sinking heart, Adrien realized that Marinette deserved better than that. Could he really in good conscious keep leading her on while he was constantly plagued with thoughts of someone else? He could sit here and _hope_ that he would eventually get over Ladybug. But how long would that take?

Marinette was amazing, and Adrien was so happy that she had worked up the courage to ask him out. But she deserved someone who would pay attention to her and _only_ her. Someone who would notice what her favorite color was or when she was feeling down. Someone who would do sweet things for her like buy gumballs to cheer her up.

 _Like Nathanael_ , Adrien realized with a start. Even when he had been possessed by an akuma, nothing had distracted Nathanael from doing everything he could for Marinette. Adrien's chest constricted as a wave of frustration swept through him. Nathanael had noticed quiet, shy Marinette. For a moment, Adrien couldn't help feeling a small spike of jealousy.

Well he saw, now. He saw what a wonderful, amazing person she was. He _wanted_ to be there for her, to make her smile, to help her realize that she was worth listening to just as she was. And yet all his wishing didn't change a thing.

With a heavy sigh, Adrien realized there was only one respectable thing he could do. He was just going to have to be honest with Marinette. Even just the thought made him flinch. But he would have wanted her to do the same if their situation had been switched. Better to cut things off now than to keep leading her on. She was probably going to hate him, he realized miserably. That thought alone almost persuaded him not to. Adrien was so happy to have met another classmate that he got along with so perfectly. To lose her as a friend…

But no. If he wanted to be a good friend, he needed to. And he could hope, against all odds, that she would understand and not resent him for the rest of her life. Maybe they could even still be friends, though honestly he wasn't sure if he deserved that much.

Heart skipping a beat, Adrien realized that it was the same with Ladybug—it wasn't her fault that she liked someone else. As much as it hurt, they were teammates. He should be there for her as a friend, not just because he _wanted_ to be there for her, but because Ladybug deserved it as well. He could hide his feelings from her, at least. He wouldn't see Ladybug every day, not like Marinette.

With a deep breath, Adrien made up his mind. If only he didn't feel even more miserable for it.

* * *

 **A/N:** Really quick, because I'm worried this might not be clear from the narrative, but I'm not sure how to weave it in better and I don't want anyone to be confused: neither Adrien nor Marinette wound up being late for class after lunch.

Um. Don't kill me for this chapter? Haha. Although come on, you had to have known more angst was coming. Things have to get worse before they can get better, right? But I promise they will eventually get better! (... after first getting even worse xD)

I listened to Shawn Mendes' "Stitches" on repeat for this entire chapter. In fact, that song partially inspired this fic. I heard it on the radio and kept thinking about how Adrien would feel if he found out Ladybug was interested in someone else. It perfectly fits the despair and heartache Adrien feels in this chapter.

Also, THE US PREMIER WAS TODAY! Here's hoping the US fan base only grows from here! D Mwahahaha!

If anyone's wondering, the Future AU (post-Uni) fic is currently leading in number of tallies for my next fic, closely followed by Marinette realizing she likes Chat and the Flour Reveal fics. However, I was kind of surprised by how diverse the requests were. Now I feel bad, because I can't do all five at once T^T However, I DO plan to do all of them eventually. I'm still taking tallies for now, so if you want to chime in please feel free! I'll make up my mind before the last chapter of this fic.

And, because a few people have mentioned this, I'd love to hear thoughts on an M vs T+ rating for the Future AU fic. Honestly, I'm currently leaning more towards T+ right now. A large part of the plot currently revolves around a sexual encounter, so I can't completely take that out of the story. But I can treat it more like a YA novel would, and pull the curtain over any of the M rated stuff (thus the T+ rating, haha). Or I can keep it a mild M rating, where I don't fade out, but I keep the descriptions vague and to a minimum. Normally I don't worry about this sort of thing, but ML IS a children's show, and I want to be cognizant of that. So your input is greatly appreciated!

Again, thank you guys so much for reading and all the love you guys have been giving this fic. You are all incredible 3333 Feel free to come squee with me about ML on Tumblr (Konekat)! (Obligatory warning that my blog is NSFW)


	9. Another Confession

Marinette glanced at the back of Adrien's head for the thirteenth time in this class period alone. He had said he was fine this morning when she had asked, but Marinette couldn't help worrying. Something about Adrien still seemed … off. Almost like he was down about something.

 _Silly_ , Marinette told herself. _You're probably just overreacting_. Adrien probably still wasn't feeling well. It wouldn't be any help for her to overreact and get all worried about it.

Still, Marinette couldn't help the small flicker of uncertainty that nestled in the pit of her stomach. Because maybe she _had_ done something wrong. Or maybe Adrien had finally come to his senses and realized that he was hanging out with a bumbling, ridiculous, inarticulate dummy.

With a deep breath, Marinette focused her attention back onto the teacher. The least she could do was take notes and do something _actually_ productive while she was in class.

It was a huge relief when the bell finally rang at the end of the day.

"Alright, everyone. Be sure to read through page 68 tonight. We'll be discussing it tomorrow," the teacher told them as the class began to zip up their bags.

"Ugh," Alya groaned beside Marinette, putting her notebook away. "All of this on top of that Chemistry worksheet? I'm going to _drown_ in homework this weekend! I have to help out my mom!"

"Poor Alya," Marinette told her, patting Alya sympathetically on the shoulder. "You can do it!"

"I wish I didn't have to," Alya told her with a pout. "It would be nice to do a study date tonight, but I just won't have the time."

"That's true," Marinette said. Quite honestly, she had been hoping that Alya would be able to study together tonight, too. The homework was much easier when they both put their heads together, even if it took twice as long with all their goofing off. "Maybe next time," Marinette told Alya, hoping her own disappointment didn't show through.

Suddenly Alya perked up, a sly grin spreading across her face. Marinette had only a moment to wonder at Alya's strange reaction before a familar voice behind her asked, "Um, Marinette?"

Heart racing, Marinette spun around toward the aisle to see Adrien watching her expectantly. _Calm, girl! Calm!_ she instructed herself, feeling a bit lightheaded. It was going to take her a while to get used to Adrien addressing her so suddenly all the time.

"Hey!" she replied, managing to sound somewhat normal for once. "You still feeling okay?"

For the briefest second a look of pain flashed across Adrien's face—so quick she almost missed it. Worry and fear warred in Marinette's chest—did that mean he still felt worse than he was letting on? Or did it hold some deeper meaning she didn't want to consider? But Adrien's wince was quickly replaced by a hesitant smile.

"I got a lot of rest yesterday, so I'm feeling much better," he told her, reiterating what he had told her earlier that day.

 _Dummy_ , Marinette scolded herself. _Of course it's the same answer! Quit repeating yourself!_

"I'm glad to hear it," she told him sincerely, shooting him a smile.

"Yeah, thanks. Listen," Adrien said, trailing off in hesitation. He glanced away uneasily. "Could I talk with you for a moment?"

Marinette's heart rate picked up again, though this time out of slowly rising anxiety. Why was Adrien so nervous? Even on their first date he had never seemed nervous—a little awkward, perhaps, or shy, but never nervous.

Alya, however, seemed to have other thoughts on the situation. "Well," she drawled loudly, making Marinette glance back to her. "I think I better head home now. I'll see you later, Marinette." Alya's grin was practically cracking her face in half, and Marinette prayed that she wouldn't throw in a wink for good measure.

"Right, see you later, Alya!" she said, waving goodbye. Then, turning back to Adrien, she added, "And of course, Adrien. It's no problem."

Adrien's smile loosened in relief, but even there Marinette could sense something—almost as if he were holding himself back. The uneasy feeling in her stomach only grew. Adrien glanced around, watching as the last of their classmates trickled through the doorway. Marinette was relieved that Chloe had been one of the first out of the door.

Adrien took a deep breath. "Listen, Marinette, I … I don't think I can do this."

Marinette's thoughts flickered, then completely shut down, dousing her mind in blackness. Oh god, he really was—

"I really like you," Adrien hurriedly added, the pained expression returning to his face. "I know we haven't hung out much, but I really have been having a lot of fun, and you're an amazing person, and I feel like such a complete and utter jerk."

Marinette struggled to force her thoughts to start working again, even as her chest constricted tighter and tighter around her lungs.

"But…" Adrien hesitated, watching her with a searching look. "But the truth is that there's someone else I just can't forget. I really, _really_ thought I was over her, and I was so excited when you asked me out. But no matter what I do, I can't stop thinking about her. And you deserve so much better than that."

Marinette nodded, pressing her lips tightly together as she swallowed against the lump in her throat. She wasn't sure if she trusted her voice at the moment.

"I'm so sorry," he told her miserably, and Marinette's heart only broke further. It was obvious how sincere and broken up he was about this. "I really didn't mean to lead you on. And, even though I know things will probably be awkward, I think you're a great person and I would still really like to be friends—or at least friendly, if you're okay with that. Which I understand if you're not. Just, I'm so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"

Marinette took a deep breath through her nose, a heartbroken smile fighting its way onto her face. She opened her mouth to respond, and breathy laugh escaped. "Seriously, Adrien," she said, hoping he wouldn't hear the slight tremor in her voice. "How on Earth can you possibly be such a great guy?"

Adrien's face fell further, and he opened his mouth to argue—she was sure of it—but Marinette cut him off. "I'm really glad you told me so honestly," she told him in a rush afraid he wouldn't want to hear it. "Really, I appreciate it. Whoever this girl is, she's a fool. I really hope you're able to change her mind."

"Marinette …" Adrien said, then hesitated. She quickly turned to grab her bookbag, avoiding looking his way.

"Well, there's lots of homework tonight," she told him, straightening back up and looking at the door, at the board—anywhere but that beautiful face that surely still looked so pained. She took a sharp breath, cursing the way the air caught in her throat, choking her. "I'll see you on Monday."

Not giving him a chance to reply, Marinette hurried out of the classroom. A few students were still milling about the courtyard, but Marinette kept her gaze focused dead ahead, feet quickly carrying her out of the school and down the front steps. Once on the sidewalk she picked up her pace, hurrying the short distance home.

The shop bell rang as she stepped through the front door into the bakery. Marinette felt her heart constrict at the sound, but she firmly swallowed back the ever-growing lump choking her throat and shut the door behind her. She managed a small wave to her dad as she headed up the steps. Her mom was cooking in the kitchen above, but Marinette beelined up the second set of stairs to her own room.

As soon as the bedroom door closed behind her, the tears forced their way through, a violent sob escaping her throat. Marinette staggered backwards, bumping into the doorway and leaning against it for support as wave after wave of tears finally squeezed up and out, her throat raw from the strain of making it this far.

"Marinette…"

Marinette shook her head, the sobs coming harder as she buried her face deeper into her hands, away from Tikki. A soft pressure pressed up against Marinette's head as Tikki petted her gently. "Oh, Marinette," Tikki said, her own voice wavering. "I'm so sorry."

"W-why?" Marinette asked, the sobs cutting off half of her words. "Why is he so p-perfect even when he's d-dumping me?"

"Shhhh," Tikki shushed her, nuzzling up against Marinette's tear-stained cheek. "It's going to be okay."

With a sniffling breath, Marinette finally faced Tikki, tears blurring up her vision. She tried to smile, though her mouth trembled so much that she gave off with a weak chuckle. "I know it will, Tikki," Marinette replied, taking a shuddering breath and hating herself for it. "I _know_ it, but it still hurts _so bad_."

"Can I help at all?" Tikki asked, but Marinette was already shaking her head.

"No," she said, wiping the tears from her cheeks, even as new ones brimmed in her eyes. "I just … I want to be alone, if that's alright."

"Of course, Marinette," Tikki told her with a sweet smile, cuddling up to her again. "I'll go hang on the roof—if you need me, just call."

Before Marinette could thank her wonderful kwami, Tikki was zipping up to the trap door and out of her room.

Marinette blinked, more tears sliding down her cheeks, and she scrubbed against them more insistently. Wary of another wave, she scurried over to her bed and let herself fall face down onto her soft comforter.

A part of her wanted to be mad at Adrien. She had that right, didn't she? Wouldn't it be easier just to be furious with him?

But she couldn't. The rest of her—a much, much larger part—was still marveling at how Adrien could manage to be so kind and wonderful even when he essentially broke up with her. _Not even that_ , she told herself forcefully. _He was never your boyfriend—you went on one lousy date_. A lousy date that was greater than anything she could ever have dreamed up.

Marinette bit back another sob, nuzzling her face against the fabric. It wasn't so bad, was it? He still wanted to be her friend. He thought she was an amazing person. If she had never worked up the courage to ask him out, she wouldn't even have that. And he wanted to be with someone he actually loved—she couldn't fault him for that. Of course he did.

Hiccupping, Marinette grabbed her pillow, crushing it in a tight hug. She would let herself be sad for this afternoon, and then she would stop. Because she _wanted_ to be Adrien's friend, as painful as it would likely be. Even just friends would be amazing compared to not being able to stutter out a full sentence around him. _Yes_ , she convinced herself, cuddling on her bed. _You can manage that, can't you?_

Marinette woke surrounded by shadows and a dark room. Groggily she looked around, trying to remember how she had fallen asleep.

"Marinette?" Tikki asked, slipping over to her. "You awake?"

"Yeah," Marinette told her, fighting off a yawn. Her shoulders felt a bit sore from the way she had huddled on her bed, her eyes dry and itchy.

"Your mom came to get you for dinner, but saw you were asleep and left you alone," Tikki told her, petting Marinette's hair agian. "How are you feeling?"

All in a rush, the afternoon came back to her. Marinette tried to push away the overwhelming surge of sorrow, pressing her lips together. "A little better," she replied, somewhat truthfully. The pain hadn't lost its edge one wit, but at least she wasn't crying anymore.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tikki asked hesitantly, and Marinette felt a rush of gratitude and love for her little companion.

"Not really," Marinette said with a breathless laugh. "I just … I don't get it? How can I love him even more for dumping me?"

"What do you mean?" Tikki asked, brows furrowing.

"Just … it was so obvious how bad he felt, you know?" Marinette asked, sitting up so she could talk better. She rubbed at her itchy eyes, knowing that it would only make them feel worse. "He was trying so hard to look out for my feelings, and I really want the best for him, I do, but …"

"But?" Tikki asked softly.

"But I still wish it could be me," Marinette said, feeling tears prick at her tortured eyes. _Darn it_ , she thought furiously, struggling to keep them from forming fully. _No more crying_. She took a deep breath, then added, "I guess I should just be thankful that he was so nice about it, and was careful of my feelings. I can't even imagine if he had rubbed it in my face or just dropped it out of nowhere."

"... You mean like you did to Chat Noir?" Tikki asked hesitantly, watching Marinette with obvious worry.

Suddenly Marinette's stomach dropped clear through her middle and into oblivion. "Oh no. _Chat_ ," she whispered, realizing with horror that Tikki was right. She still wasn't sure Chat hadn't just been joking with her, but …

… But things had never quite been the same between them since that night. And even if she wasn't entirely to blame, the way she had snapped at him…

"Oh god, _Tikki_ ," Marinette said, heart clenching as she shook her head. Not giving herself time to reconsider, she pinned Tikki with a stare. "I need to apologize to him. Can you contact him?"

"No," Tikki said slowly, frowning in thought. "But Ladybug probably could." Marinette nodded firmly. Her heart may still be breaking, but she was determined to finally set at least _one thing_ right.

* * *

 **A/N:** Really quick, before we get into the next chapter, I wanted to mention that my good friend at Dark Moon Designs on Etsy has a bunch of leftover stock from a recent Comicon. She's in a tight place because she wasn't able to sell much at the con after all the hard work she put into her items, so I wanted to mention it to you guys. She has all sorts of awesome geekery (Harry Potter, Disney Princesses, Star Wars, and Doctor Who), as well as handmade cosplays, outfits, and corsets. If you're in the US, it would be awesome if you could take a look at her stuff if you're interested. (I mean, if you're not the US that's cool too, but I'm pretty sure she only ships US.) Her shop name on Etsy is KBDarkMoonDesigns.

ALSO, THE AMAZING UN-PETIT-PAPILLON MADE A SUPER ADORABLE LITTLE COMIC OF MY FLOUR REVEAL IDEA AND I PRACTICALLY DIED OF HAPPINESS~~~ X) You can find it over on my Tumblr (Konekat), which, as I'm sure you've all heard by now, is NSFW.

Anyway, holy COW we're getting so close to the end 0_0 Only two chapters left! And, as I've mentioned before, the last two chapters are basically one gigantically long scene. I was looking at my summaries for the last two chapters, and Chapter 10 is actually WAAAY longer than Chapter 11, so I might wind up just combining them… maybe. I dunno. This is just a heads up that the next chapter might be the last (and if so, it'll be HUGE). Either way, I'M FREAKING OUT.

Also, I feel like we've reached the peak of angst in this chapter. There's still a bit more to come, but it's mostly a gradual decline from here on out. I hope I didn't overdo it in this chapter. I'm pretty sure this is how I would have reacted in a similar situation. Also, I find these types of sobs absolutely fascinating. The feel of pressure rising in your neck as the air chokes you, and sobbing uncontrollably—it's such a strange and intensely emotional feeling, and I actually really enjoyed trying to express it here through Marinette. (I have a strange and deep-rooted love for describing things ^^ lol)

To those of you hoping he would say, "I'm in love with Ladybug," we can't let them off that easily! Haha. Besides, I think Adrien would feel that that would only make it more ridiculous. He's in love with a public figure who theoretically (as far as Marinette knows, at least) he has never even met? To the point that he can't bring himself to date anyone else? Adrien probably feels like telling Marinette who he has a crush on would be like rubbing salt in the wound. Besides, even if it WASN'T someone as public as Ladybug, I don't think most people say, "I can't date you, I love XXX" unless the person they're talking to already knows they like that other person. Like, one time I broke up with a boyfriend and said, "Sorry, I like someone else," but I couldn't bring myself to say who, even though he probably could have figured it out for himself. That just seems really rude. (It was probably rude of me to say I liked someone else in the first place xD It was last on a long list of reasons for us to break up). Nonetheless, we are quickly approaching the resolution between these two sillies, so please sit tight!

I was searching for the perfect song for this chapter, and my genius sister suggested Landon Pigg's "Can't Let Go." It's bittersweet—sad, but at the same time not slow, but also not overly-upbeat. Melancholy—that's it. The lyrics fit this story rather well, I think.

For those of you who were curious, I've pretty much decided to do the Flour reveal fic next. The story itself takes place around Christmas, so I'd like to try to do it while we're still close to the holiday. Originally it was going to be a oneshot, but now that I've gotten the plot all written out, it's long enough that I might decide to break it up into three chapters… we'll see. Either way, it'll be much shorter than It's Complicated. So far the Flour reveal fic has gotten the most tallies, which is part of why I'm doing it next. But also, the Future AU (which is second in the running) is probably going to be a much longer story—at LEAST around the length of It's Complicated, and possibly even longer. With that in mind, I wanted to do something a bit shorter and fluffier before dedicating myself to a longer, heavier storyline. Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who left feedback on which stories they'd want to see and why! For those of you who were super excited about the other three, I'm sorry I can't get them to you sooner T^T I WILL be writing all of them in due time.

If you want to have a heads up when the next stories are available, the best way is probably to subscribe to me as an author. THAT SAID, I don't want anyone to feel like they HAVE to do that. Especially because I do write fics for other fandoms of various ratings. The next best option is to check out my list of stories on my Tumblr (Konekat - Kat Writes). I'll update it each time I start a new fic. But, again, my blog is NSFW, so that may not be the best or easiest option. Otherwise, just keep an eye out here on FFN—they'll be cropping up eventually ^^


	10. Late Night Conversations

Adrien sat at his desk, staring miserably at the blank homework sheet in front of him.

Plagg peeked over his shoulder with a wide yawn. "You haven't even done any of it?" he asked shaking his head. "It's late, Adrien. Why don't you just go to bed?"

"No, it's fine," Adrien told him, gripping his pencil tighter. "I was just about to get started, honest."

Plagg glanced doubtfully at the clock. "It's 1:23."

Adrien struggled to come up with an excuse. "I want to get some done tonight so I don't have to worry as much on Sunday," he finally replied, shrugging grumpily.

"Is this about that girl in your class?" Plagg asked suddenly, pinning him with a frown.

"No," Adrien said quickly, his throat tightening. "... yes. I don't know."

"Why are you so worried?" Plagg asked. He rolled his eyes. "You told her the truth."

"It's not that simple," Adrien replied, sinking lower in his chair. Marinette had been trying so hard not to let it show, but he had _seen_ the look on her face when he told her, and it made him feel a million more times miserable. "I still hurt her feelings. Badly."

"So? I thought you decided to give up on her and pursue Ladybug instead," Plagg said with a shrug.

"Marinette's my friend," Adrien said defensively. Or at least, he _hoped_ she was—though perhaps he didn't deserve even that much after all this. Marinette had been so painfully shy around him for so long. But no sooner had she finally started to open up around him than he had to go and dump this on her. "Besides, I'm not 'pursuing' anyone."

Plagg's frown grew. "Didn't you break up with that girl because of Ladybug?" he asked, sounding confused.

"I did," Adrien said, his exasperation growing. Sometimes he wished desperately that Plagg had a better grasp on human emotions—at times it seemed like the little kwami cared little for the world if it didn't directly affect him. "But Ladybug has already made it clear that she's not interested in me."

"I don't get it," Plagg said, shaking his head. "You gave up on someone who _does_ like you because of someone who _doesn't_?"

"I… yeah, I guess," Adrien replied. His chest tightened—when put like that, it sounded even more miserable.

"Love is ridiculous," Plagg replied dismissively. "You should take up an interest in cheese instead—it's far simpler and so satisfying."

"Thanks," Adrien replied dryly, unable to keep a grimace from his face. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Don't mentio—"

Plagg cut off so suddenly that Adrien turned to him in concern. He had gone very still, except for his whiskers, which vibrated violently.

"What's wrong?" Adrien asked.

"I'm not sure," Plagg replied slowly, face twisted in a contemplative frown. "I think it's Ladybug."

Adrien leapt up from his computer chair, anxiety slicing through his chest. "What is it? What's happening?" he pressed. Ladybug had never tried to contact him outside of a mission before—whatever it was, it must be dire.

"I don't know," Plagg replied, still speaking that slow, measured tone. "You should probably transform."

Without wasting a second, Adrien quickly cried, "Transform: Chat Noir!" As soon as the transformation was complete he ran to his window and shimmied out, pulling out his beeping baton as he went.

"Chat?" Ladybug asked, her face popping up on his small screen.

"What's wrong? Are you in danger?" he asked her, glancing at his screen as he worked his way onto the roof. "I'm already on my way—just send me the coordinates."

"No, no, Chat, I'm fine," Ladybug said all in a rush. Adrien took a deep breath of relief, closing his eyes for a moment as his heart began to settle from its breakneck pace. "Sorry about that," she added sheepishly.

"No worries, it's fine," he told her, looking back at his screen. "I'm just glad you're not hurt. What is it?"

"I…" Ladybug hesitated, and Adrien felt his gut clench. Now that his panic had worn off, it seemed they were back to that awkwardness that he didn't quite know how to address.

"I really need to talk with you," Ladybug continued, a bit more firmly. "Can we meet somewhere?"

 _Oh god_. They needed to talk? So badly that it couldn't wait? Adrien tried to think of what it could possibly be so important, but all of the topics popping into his head were not conversations he wanted to have. "Yeah, sure," he said, trying to bite back his uncertainty. "Where do you want to meet?"

"The usual, if that's okay," she told him.

"No problem, I'll be there soon."

Adrien shut away his screen, then clicked his baton in place behind his back. This would be good—there were times when it was extremely beneficial to live right next to the Eiffel Tower. Particularly because the roof of his father's mansion provided an excellent perch to access the Tower without having to worry much about the guards.

Adrien snuck up the Tower, skirting the general observation deck and heading to the beams a bit above, where he had met with Ladybug on a few other occasions. The night was cool around him, and he tried to let the air calm his nerves as he worked his way up. What if she didn't want to work with him anymore? What if she was leaving?

 _No, don't think about it_ , he scolded himself, taking another deep breath. _You can figure out how to deal with whatever is when she explains it. No need to get all worried about possibilities_.

Of course, that advice was far more easily said than done, and by the time Adrien neared their spot, his heart was back to performing a stuttering, fast-paced beat.

He was surprised to see that she was already there, sitting quietly on a beam and looking out over the city. In the early morning darkness she was but a silhouette against the velvet, dark blue sky, and for a moment she stole his breath away. He struggled to push back against the writhing mass of emotions rising in chest as he climbed the last stretch of beams.

"You got here fast," she said, eyebrows raised as he sat down beside her.

 _Darn_. Of all the nights for his proximity to the Tower to be a _bad_ thing. "I was already out around this way," he said, trying not to flinch. "I needed some air." Both statements were sort of true, at least.

"Ah." She trailed off, as if not quite sure how to reply, in turn leaving Adrien uncertain if he should say anything else.

For a moment she just sat, looking out over the city in silence. Adrien took a deep breath and forced himself to do the same, trying to enjoy this rare moment of peace with her. Even this late, the city retained its fairy glow, a halo-like dome hanging just over top as if protecting its inhabitants in its warmth. The view from this perch was simply beautiful, yet Adrien couldn't stop the anxiety that was steadily gnawing at him from the inside.

"I owe you an apology," she said suddenly.

Adrien froze, his mind already supplying the words he feared were about to come. _I'm leaving town. I can't work with you anymore. I—_

"The other day, with the video stream, I should have never—"

 _What?_ Adrien turned to her, completely taken off guard.

Ladybug took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders as she met his gaze. "The way I treated you wasn't right. I totally disregarded your feelings and let my own frustration and anxiety get the better of me. I still think your timing was atrocious, and I don't think it was right of you to put me on the spot like that. However, even if my feelings weren't the same, I shouldn't have treated your feelings as if they didn't matter." She paused, earnestly watching him, and added, "I'm sorry."

His first thought was that he wanted to kiss her. _No, NO_ , he warned himself sharply. _She doesn't want that._ She had literally just said that she didn't feel the same—though the thought sent a sharp pang through his heart. And on top of all that, she was seeing someone now.

"It's okay," he told her instead. Because it was. "Really, I was so worried about _how_ to tell you that I didn't take your feelings into account either. You wouldn't have been put in that situation if I had just thought things through better."

"I guess we were both at fault," she said with a hesitant laugh.

"Yeah."

She opened her mouth, as if about to add something else, then faltered. Adrien felt his own stomach clench. Even with both of their apologies now out in the open, it seemed there was still something holding her back, and he didn't know how to cross that distance.

Trying to lighten the air between them a bit, he said, "You know, I'm kind of surprised that you called me out so late at night just to apologize."

"Oh," Ladybug replied, apparently taken off guard. "I guess I didn't even think, I just—oh my goodness, your girlfriend! Will she mind? I'm so sorry, this is awkward isn't it. I should have realized. I—"

"No, no, it's fine," Adrien hurriedly assured her. For a moment his mind flashed to Marinette, and he felt an irrational stab of guilt. He quickly tried to push her out of his mind and focus on the girl in front of him instead, who was still watching him with big, worried eyes. "It … well, it didn't really work out, so there's nothing to worry about."

He almost asked if her boyfriend would mind— _almost_ —but he was a weak person, and kept his mouth shut tight.

"Oh," Ladybug replied, still sounding hesitant. "I'm sorry about that."

"No, really, it's fine," he told her in feigned lightness. Truth be told, it was _far_ from fine. He had utterly crushed Marinette, all because he couldn't stop thinking about Ladybug. But he couldn't tell her that. He had already learned the hard way that he needed to think of Ladybug's feelings first and foremost. He would do that from here on out, starting with this.

There was a strained silence, and Adrien could feel each second as it ticked away, widening the gap between them. Somehow, things had grown even more uneasy, and he had no idea how to stop it before it snowballed out of control.

A part of him kept urging him to be the gentleman and take his leave now, before things became even more awkward. But he hardly ever had the chance to just sit with her like this, not worrying about an akuma or responsibilities.

Instead he watched her. She almost looked like a picture—the hero of Paris, looking down on her city. The ambient glow of the city caught in her eyes, liquid beads of gold swimming in blue—

With a start he realized she was crying, the light reflecting off a tear as it worked its way down the curve of her cheek.

"I'm so sorry," he quickly blurted out, watching with horror as more tears streaked down her face. "I didn't mean to make you sad." He had no idea what he had done wrong, but seeing Ladybug cry tore his heart into shreds.

"No, you didn't do anything," she said quickly, swiping at her eyes and turning away. "I just… I can't stand this! This awkwardness between us—I can't—I don't know what to do. I want things to go back to _normal_ between us. I want it so badly. I want you to joke like nothing's wrong, so I can roll my eyes and joke back like everything's fine. I want us to work _together_ , as a team. It feels like it's ruined now, and neither of us are to blame. God, we're such a mess. How are we supposed to protect Paris when we can't even figure out something this simple?"

Her shoulders were shaking, and Adrien physically had to hold himself back from wrapping his arms around her and trying to make it okay. But he also couldn't help the intense wave of relief that washed over him now that it was finally out in the open.

"It's okay," he told her gently, shushing her a bit. "We'll work it out." With a grin he added, "We're Ladybug and Chat Noir—nothing is going to stop us, not even this."

Ladybug choked on a weak laugh, more tears spilling over even as she tried to smile, and Adrien's heart broke all over again. Was this what it was going to be like—having his heart ripped out every time he was with her? But she was worth it— _god_ , she was worth the world.

"But _how_?" Ladybug pressed. "It's been killing me for days, and I still just don't know…"

"Probably just like this," Adrien told her gently, smiling again. "It there's a problem, we should probably talk about it, rather than both of us ignoring it and hoping it will go away, even if it's difficult to talk about. Right?"

She nodded, wiping away more tears with obvious irritation. "Yeah, you're right," she said with a shaky breath.

"And maybe we should try to make sure we have time to talk when there _isn't_ an akuma destroying the city," Adrien continued, hesitating a bit. "You know, outside of our normal superhero duties." Then, before he could go weak and stop himself, he added, "So long as your boyfriend doesn't mind."

For a moment Ladybug was completely silent, and Adrien cursed himself for having brought it up. Of course her boyfriend would mind. Meeting up with some other guy, probably at night, just to talk? Why did he have to go and—

"He dumped me." The words were quiet and trembling, and suddenly more tears were pouring down her face, twisted with pain.

He had wrapped her in his arms before he even realized what he was doing.

"He's an idiot," Chat said decisively. "You deserve the world, and he's an idiot."

Marinette shook her head against his chest, trying to stop crying. Instead, all it resulted in was her starting to hiccup, the air forcing its way painfully up her throat.

Chat shushed her quietly again, hugging her closer, and Marinette let herself be cradled.

 _You shouldn't be dumping this on him_ , she tried to tell herself. But she couldn't deny that his warm embrace made her feel a little better—grounded, as if the world were no longer yanked right out from under her feet.

Finally giving in, Marinette let her head fall against his chest as all the pent up tears worked their way free. He didn't say anything as she cried, just quietly and reassuringly held her close.

After everything she had put him through, Marinette couldn't help but feel like she didn't deserve this from him. How on Earth was Chat able to be so calm through all of this? She had broken down on him, not once, but twice this evening, and yet it was _Chat_ who kept a level head and was able to work through their problems.

 _You deserve better_ , Adrien had told her. _No, I really don't_ , she thought miserably. _Not after all of this_. Not after the way she had dismissed his feelings, only to have him turn around and so carefully look out for hers.

God, how had she ever thought that Chat had been merely fooling around? She had taken all of his flirting and assumed he was being insincere, when really it was the exact opposite. Rather, here was a guy who really cared about her. Who sat with her when she needed it. Who waited patiently for her to make her apology.

Overwhelmed, Marinette pushed back a bit, and Chat eased his hold, letting her sit up straight. "Sorry," she told him for the millionth time, wiping at her face again. Her skin was beginning to feel raw from all the friction.

He smiled at her, and her breath caught in her throat, eyes beginning to water again as her lips quivered.

"No, please," Chat said quickly, a soft smile spreading across his face, "You should smile, My Lady."

Marinette laughed breathlessly, even as a few more tears pushed their way forward. _My Lady_. How long had it been since she had heard those words? She hadn't even realized how much she had missed them, nor known how comforting it would be to hear them again. Her heart was swelling painfully in her chest, even as she continued to laugh, her cheeks hurting from the strain of smiling and and laughing and crying all at the same time.

There was a split moment of hesitation, and then he leaned in towards her slowly, and Marinette was surprised to realize that she didn't mind one bit—that it felt oddly _right_. Then his lips were pressing against hers, making her heart stutter and thud painfully.

* * *

 **A/N:** ELEANOR MADE SOME MORE AMAZING FANART, THIS TIME OF THE BUBBLE GUM SCENE, AND I AM SO EXCITED AND YOU ALL SHOULD CHECK IT OUT ^0^ (you can find it on my Tumblr (Konekat) by adding "/post/135181476984/") And check her out too! (She's un-petit-papillon on Tumblr.)

Also, for those of you who enjoy making yourselves suffer, I had a terrible thought for a story about Chat dying the other day. I don't plan to write it—I don't think I actually _could_ bring myself to write it. But I did write up my thoughts. Feel free to come suffer with me. (/post/135218472474/)

Apologies to everyone who has left a comment that I haven't been able to respond to yet. I'll get to them asap, but I wanted to post this chapter when I had the chance since it's was ready to go ^^

Omigosh omigosh omigosh omigosh omigosh xD

I just… WE'RE SO CLOSE. How did we get this close? Haha, there's only one chapter left and I am freaking the freak out.

If you've been reading these babbly end notes, then you probably remember me talking about this gigantically long final scene. When I first drafted up the plot summary, this chapter was HUGE, and the last chapter was actually a dwarf in comparison. That's because I was planning to cut things off in a place that just _felt_ right. However, the more I was looking at it, the more I wasn't happy with that. Although I'm primarily concerned with cutting off chapters in a good, logical place, the idea of giving you guys a HUGE Chapter 10 and then a dinky little Chapter 11 kind of felt like … I dunno? Let's just say I thought you guys might be disappointed. I don't want Chapter 10 to be the climax—I want everyone to be holding their breaths with me as we go into the last chapter. But making it ALL one massive chapter also seemed like a bad idea—in part because the longer a chapter is, the more I tend to procrastinate on writing it.

So when I was reading through my summary again, it suddenly hit me that cutting things off at the first kiss might be a good idea. (" _First_ kiss?" you ask, to which I reply "( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)") It leaves the last two chapters much more evenly balanced while still giving the same kind of cliffhanger ending I was originally intending this chapter to leave off on.

"But Kat!" you say, "They still haven't told each other the truth!" (Why am I talking like this? Someone should really stop me right now, I am so sorry ._.) Alas, you'll have to wait just a liiiiiittle longer for that. BECAUSE THERE'S JUST ONE CHAPTER LEFT, AH.

It was really important to me that when Adrien stopped himself from kissing her, his first thought wasn't "She's taken," but rather "She wouldn't want that." Because I feel like he would respect her wishes above all else. Even when he's tried to glean a kiss off of her before, he's never cornered her—only offered himself up. And I know that HawkDaddy feels this is a hugely important trait of his. That said, I realized later that when he DID actually kiss her, she still (supposed) wasn't interested, but. Well. She could have easily stopped him… LET'S NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT A KISS, ALRIGHT? Hahaha.

Also, I know Marinette and Adrien technically weren't "bf/gf," but those terms were just the easiest to use. Besides, Ladybug and Chat wouldn't have known the particulars of the other's situation.

Also, Plagg. I love Plagg, but he also makes me nervous, because I feel like I don't have a 100% firm grasp on his character yet. I just… I feel like there's a lot more to learn about him as a character. Obviously there are many secrets about kwami that we all want to know, but at times Plagg almost feels incapable of empathy. It's hard to tell if he's ACTUALLY incapable of empathy, or if it's a personal choice, and even further (and more importantly, in some ways), if he even has any interest in being empathetic (which also would say a lot about him). In a way he's very childlike, while still feeling mature in age (probably because he's thousands of years old). Anyway, I struggled a bit with the beginning of this chapter because of that.

I was originally going to have them meet up at about 11:30 pm, because it felt sufficiently late. However, apparently the Tower's lights don't get turned off until about 1 am, so I had to push the timing back a bit. I feel like it's a bit odd that Adrien would be up at 1:23 am trying to work on homework—he is, after all, a 15 year old and not a university student. But whatever, I wanted them to meet at the Tower, so I worked with what I had. Luckily I left it purposefully vague when Marinette actually woke up in the last chapter—just sometime after dark xD I almost did a time jump between Adrien leaving his house and reaching the Tower, and then I remembered it's in his backyard xDDD WHOOPS

Also, I actually have an above-average level of experience with security systems and devices (let's just say that I have been interviewed more than once by major news sources regarding security), and I feel fairly confident in saying that it's highly unlikely Ladybug and Chat could ACTUALLY meet there, even after the lights are out. But, in the infallible words of Ewan McGregor, ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE. I'm claiming artistic license on this one.

THANK YOU GUYS, SO MUCH! You guys are seriously amazing, and all of your comments make me smile. Thank you so much for reading! I can't wait to give you guys the last chapter-sometime this weekend for sure. ^^


	11. Revelations

**A/N:** Quick apologies. I said I would post this this past weekend, but things wound up being more hectic than I anticipated. Sorry for the wait.

Also, WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER? I'm going to blubber on about this in the notes at the end, but _you guys_. You are seriously the best. All of you have completely made so many of my days a hundred times over. So this is a super big thank you to everyone who has commented on this, and everyone who has favorited this, and everyone who has followed this—whether you hopped on back when this started in November or if you only just joined in last chapter. And, even more importantly, thank you to all of you for reading this. I had absolutely no idea how much fun this was going to be, and it's seriously thanks to all of you. Alright, enough for now. You guys probably just want to see how Marinette's going to react to that kiss, right? ^^

* * *

Her smile was overwhelming—punching straight through his chest and planting itself in his heart—so much so that he hadn't thought, hadn't questioned, had simply done what felt so utterly natural, until the warmth of her lips was brushing against him, soft and still trembling and perfect and _holy SHIT_ what was he doing?!

Adrien pulled away from Ladybug, panic flooding him. _Idiot. Idiot!_ He couldn't just _kiss_ her! Hadn't she just said that she didn't return his feelings? Here she was crying because her boyfriend had just broken up with her, and he responded by _kissing_ her? How low could he get? She would hate him. She—

She hadn't resisted.

For a moment Adrien felt disgusted with himself. _Just because she didn't stop you doesn't mean you had any right_. But then he caught Ladybug's gaze—wide eyed, watching him carefully, waiting for him. Her tears had finally stopped.

Adrien's racing heart suddenly stumbled, and he took a sharp breath, praying he wasn't deceiving himself. Maybe she didn't mind. Maybe…

This time, when he leaned forward, he watched her carefully, waited for any sign of hesitation—a flinch or some stiffness. But Ladybug exhaled lightly, her shoulders relaxing as her eyes slipped closed. When their lips met again, she leaned into him. Adrien thought his heart would explode any moment.

He wanted to linger, to wrap this perfect moment up and never let it go, but he knew better. Adrien broke off the kiss slowly this time, savoring the exhilarating rush as their noses gently rubbed together and her breath lightly fanned over his face. His ears were ringing in the silence, as though the intensity of the moment still pressed in around him.

"Ladybug, listen." He paused, taking a deep breath to steel himself before pushing the rest of his thoughts out between them. "I know you already made your feelings apparent. But I haven't been able to get you out of my mind. I tried—believe me. But I can't force myself stop loving you. Would you consider just giving me a chance?"

Ladybug laughed, more of a breathless huff than anything. She shrugged almost nervously, as if struggling to find the right words. Finally, she quietly replied, "I … I think I might like that."

Adrien let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding, the entire world suddenly feeling bright. It wasn't a guarantee—he could still tell that Ladybug was a little unsure. _Can you blame her?_ asked himself ruefully. _She just broke up with someone else_. But he had a chance to finally show her just how much she meant to him—properly, this time.

Suddenly he deflated. "Are you sure?" he asked her worriedly, watching her face carefully. "I mean, this would involve us revealing who we really are, right? You don't want that, do you? I don't want to force you."

To his surprise, Ladybug laughed again, her voice sounding a little stronger now. "Silly cat," she said, and his heart spiked at the affection in her tone. "Weren't you the one just trying to convince me to say yes? And now you're trying to convince me to say no?"

"What? Of course not," Adrien told her, worried that she wouldn't see how earnestly he actually meant the question. "I just… I don't want to pressure you if it makes you uncomfortable."

She nodded, taking a deep breath. "Thank you—really. But… I think it's worth a shot." Ladybug hesitated, and Adrien's heart clenched, wondering for the billionth time why this decision was so hard for her. She closed her eyes, taking another slow breath, then added, "I just… don't be disappointed, okay?"

"I could never be disappointed with you," Adrien told her, willing her to understand.

Ladybug shot him a lopsided grin in response, though her entire demeanor was so soaked in nervousness that it was more of a half-grimace. "You say that now. But please, promise me."

Adrien paused, waiting patiently until she finally looked up and met his gaze. Slowly, so she could hopefully see that he had no intention of breaking his word, he said, "I promise."

Ladybug let out a ragged breath, shrugging nervously again. Suddenly a swarm of ladybugs surrounded her, much the same as when she used Healing Light. They twisted about, cloaking her for a moment before being swept away.

Adrien was vaguely aware of a bright red kwami zipping out of one of Ladybug's telltale earrings, which had suddenly dulled to a very familiar black, but his mind couldn't quite seem to comprehend what he was seeing.

Marinette sat beside him, huddled in on herself and watching him nervously.

Marinette.

Adrien could feel his jaw working, trying to force out words, but his mind had stuck like a broken record, skipping with each blink as if seeing the girl in front of him for the first time.

 _Marinette_.

Adrien's chest ached in protest, and with a start he realized he had stopped breathing. Somehow he managed to force his lungs to start working again.

Ladybug was…

But Marinette…

 _Her hair_ , he realized with a jolt. _I should have_ noticed—

But no, that was silly. There were thousands of girls in Paris with black hair and—

And blue eyes.

Adrien's head was spinning almost painfully, a million thoughts all whirling together into a muddled blur.

But her boyfriend—

 _Idiot,_ you _were the boyfriend!_ he yelled at himself. The thought stopped him cold. _Holy cow, I went on a_ date _with her_. _And I left her. I was the jerk who made her cry._

Marinette was still watching him, bent in on herself, her kwami hovering protectively at her side, and Adrien struggled to find the right words— _any_ words—to say.

As Chat's shocked silence grew ever longer, Marinette's panic flared wildly. First Adrien and now Chat? She should have _known_ —should have realized that boring, simple Marinette would never be good enough—never be able to compare to someone like _Ladybug_.

But still, she had hoped that Chat…

Her heart came to an abrupt, painful stop as bile burned at the back of her throat. Face turning bright red, she quickly turned away from him, unable to bear the look on his face.

"I'm sorry," she said all in a rush, the words barely managing to squeeze their way out. "This is what I was afraid of. I told you. Without the costume I'm just … me. Nothing special. In real life I'm actually really clumsy, and shy, and I—"

"No," Chat said quickly, finally startled into speech. "Marinette, you're perfect just how you are."

Marinette froze, blood suddenly running cold. Barely daring to breath, she slowly turned to Chat, whose face was twisted with concern. "How do you know my name?" she asked quietly, stomach dropping as Chat's concern became more pronounced. "Chat?"

With a weak breath, Chat's own transformation began to wear off. Marinette followed the change with her eyes, watching as his leather suit was replaced by plain sneakers and jeans, then up to an awfully familiar shirt, and even further until she was staring at a painfully familiar face.

Whatever she was about to say died in her mouth, and Marinette suddenly understood Chat's own shocked silence. He cringed, watching her with a close uncertainty as if trying to judge how she would react.

Mind still reeling, Marinette finally asked, "I … Adrien?"

Adrien smiled at her hesitantly, and Marinette's heart nearly imploded. There was little doubt—she would know that smile anywhere. Then, his uncertain smile growing ever so slightly, he sketched an awkward, seated bow, and added, "My Lady."

Marinette's breath caught in her throat, feeling like she might burst into tears _again_ —as if she hadn't done that enough already tonight.

He was still watching her, waiting for her to say _something_ , but all she could manage was to shake her head, desperately trying to stop the tears from overflowing and trying to breath past the lump that had lodged itself so solidly in her throat.

"Marinette?" he asked her worriedly. She shook her head harder, not even sure what on earth she could possibly say. Frustration and shock and happiness and confusion all swirled relentlessly through her mind, all warring for her attention. She felt Tikki land on her knee, and she tried to draw some strength from her kwami's reassuring presence.

"You _idiot_ ," she finally managed to choke out. "You wonderful, amazing, perfect _idiot_."

Then he was wrapping his arms around her again, shushing her quietly as she tried to force air into her lungs. Finally giving in, Marinette leaned into his embrace, still feeling utterly overwhelmed.

"I don't get it," a voice said, making Marinette jump in surprise. "She calls you an idiot, so you hug her?"

She looked up, only now noticing the dark figure hovering nearby. With its dark black fur it was a mere shadow against the deep blue canvas of the night sky, though its green eyes glinted like a cat's.

"Oh shush," Tikki said disdainfully, zipping over to Adrien's kwami. "Let's leave them in peace." Tikki turned to Marinette, shooting her a smile. "Don't worry about Plagg. I'll take care of him. You two just talk."

Marinette watched as Tikki led—or perhaps dragged—Plagg away, leaving them alone.

"Good thing neither of us are afraid of heights," Adrien said with a soft laugh, though his voice still held a measure of hesitation.

With a start, Marinette looked around, only now realizing that they were now _both_ kwami-less and still seated on the Eiffel Tower quite high above the ground.

"I'm sure they'll remember to come back," she said with far more confidence than she actually felt. _Eventually, at least_ , she added ruefully to herself. Then, with a deep breath, Marinette added, "So, um, it was Ladybug you were talking about?"

Adrien flinched, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah. It seems pretty dumb now, honestly. I mean, I broke things off with you, because I couldn't stop thinking about … you." He sighed, his awkwardness melting into a serious frown. "Marinette, I'm so sorry. I've made you cry so much tonight. I never meant to hurt you like this."

Marinette took an unsteady breath, not quite daring to believe that this was actually happening. "It's okay," she told him. Then, when he started to protest, she added, "Really, it is. As much as it hurt, I wasn't lying when I said I appreciated your honesty. And besides, if I had just been more comfortable with trusting you as my partner, we probably wouldn't have gotten stuck in this situation."

"You're amazing, do you know that?" Adrien asked. Marinette flushed, her heart unable to deal with the complete conviction in his voice.

"I'm serious," he pressed, leaning a little closer to her. "Whether you're saving the city or just being your awesome self at school, I can't help but be drawn to you. I know I may have given you reason to say no over the past week or so, but I mean it when I say I want to be there for you."

Marinette couldn't help the smile that was itching at her lips, forcing its way onto her face. She leaned over and placed a light kiss on Adrien's cheek. She caught him watching her with wide eyes as she pulled away, and her smile grew. "Of course, you silly cat," she told him. The smile that unfolded on his face was so overwhelmingly happy that it made it hard for her to breath.

"You know, you're pretty amazing yourself," she added, bumping her knee against his. "I've admired you for a long time, and I rely on you so much as my partner. When things were so awkward between us, I just…" She trailed off, struggling to find the right way to convey to him just how wrong it had felt to not be able to talk normally with him.

Marinette started as Adrien's hand found hers. He gave her hand a tight squeeze, smiling at her reassuringly and making her heart rate pick up again. Then he leaned toward her and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I'm tired, can't we go home yet?"

Marinette and Adrien both looked up to see Plagg hovering in front of them once again. Tikki was tugging at him, quite unsuccessfully trying to drag him away again, an angry scowl on her face. "I. Told. You. To. Leave. Them. Alone!"

Plagg yawned, resisting Tikki's yanking. "Yeah, yeah. They finally talked everything out and everything will be lovely, yada yada. That doesn't change the fact that I'm extremely tired and it is ridiculously late."

Adrien glared at his kwami, but Marinette couldn't help a small giggle. "It _is_ pretty late," she said. She slipped her phone out of her purse, surprised when the glowing numbers flashed 2:18. "It probably is time to call it a night."

Adrien sighed, looking at her wistfully before finally hanging his head in defeat. "Alright. Time to transform, perhaps? I don't really fancy trying to shimmy down the Tower…"

"Right," Marinette said, pushing herself up to stand on the beam. "Tikki?" With a nod from her kwami, Marinette transformed, then watched with curiosity as Adrien did the same. It was strange to watch his transformation as an observer—she was so used to being the one doing the transforming. And it was even stranger to watch as Adrien changed in front of her eyes into Chat Noir, despite having seen it the other way around just a little while before.

"Well, have a good night," Marinette told him, not quite wanting to leave despite knowing she needed to.

"Wait!" Adrien said, grabbing her wrist and causing Marinette's heart to stop. "Maybe we could reschedule our ice cream date for tomorrow?"

She grinned, putting her hand to her chin as if considering it. "Hmmm, I'm not sure… I suppose I could pencil you in."

Adrien shot her a mischievous grin in return. Then he took her hand and brushed a soft kiss across her knuckles. "As you wish."

Marinette flushed deeply, even as a face-splitting smile spread across her face. Her smile only grew as Adrien added, "Good night, My Lady."

Before she could stop herself, Marinette replied, "Good night, My Kitty." Then, completely overcome by an inseparable mix of embarrassment and happiness, she slung her yoyo and swung her way down the tower, leaving a very flushed, very shocked Adrien in her wake.

As Marinette swung home, her heart wouldn't stop fluttering. Her mind continued to spin as she replayed the night over and over again in her mind. Even the cool night air couldn't ease the warmth that seemed permanently stuck to her cheeks. Still, with a deep breath, she managed to get her excited jitters somewhat under control. Tomorrow, she had another date with Adrien, and after that… well, there was no rush.

* * *

 **A/N:** IT'S OVER? HOW IS IT OVER? … I feel like that's a weird question to ask, considering that I'm the author. BUT SERIOUSLY, HOW? xD

For those of you who are curious, I was originally going to end Chpt 10 when Ladybug de-transforms and he's left staring at Marinette. I honestly still think it would have been the BEST cut off point, pacing-wise. The shock there is the perfect moment for the curtains to go black. (Dramatic reveal! Gasp! Curtains fall! lol) And looking at it now, it's only an extra 800 words, which wouldn't have been ridiculous. Buuut, well, I've rambled on enough in previous chapters about why I decided against it.

Writing Plagg and Tikki together was SO MUCH FUN. I feel like these two would bicker like NO OTHER, y'know? Like, Plagg is always saying insensitive things, and Tikki is always looking at him in horror and saying, " _Plagg_!" I can't wait to eventually write a fic about these two, although I still have a lot of planning I need to do for that one.

Quick shoutout to AmuxIkutolover for the idea of having Marinette and Adrien make up their ice cream date x3

Okay, music update: I was struggling with the ending, but I had to take a long drive to drop something off, so I took a break from writing. During the drive, I wound up hearing Jess Glynne's Hold My Hand on the radio, and it just sort of clicked. I feel like it actually fits Marinette and Adrien really well, and that jittery, heart-fluttering, excited feeling that the song has just perfectly sums up what I was trying to convey from Marinette's POV at the end (basically, when she realizes it's Adrien to the end). Like, excitement, but also that sure feeling that you've found someone who you can depend on, who will be there to support you, despite the fact that you're already capable of standing on your own. Hopefully that came across in the story itself!

Also, what even are endings? Like, how? xD Trying to figure out exactly how and where to leave off was surprisingly difficult! When I'm plotting, I plot everything EXCEPT the veeeeery end (because if I try it usually turns out too corny, and then it doesn't feel right). But it made it very hard for me to figure out when I should finally just … stop. xD Maybe I shouldn't've. Maybe I should have just let this go on forever, a la Miyuki-chan in Wonderland: "Never End." (Actually, someone suggested I do this, but I honestly don't plan to. At the very most, I MAYBE will write a short drabble someday exploring how they work together once they both finally know and are dating, but I would likely post that as a separate story…)

I mentioned this a couple of chapters back, but I definitely have many more ML stories I will be writing. (Seriously, my document with story notes is 19 pages long 0_0 although close to half of those notes were for this fic.) If you want to have a heads up when they're posted, you can do any of the following (although please don't feel obligated to if you don't want to for any reason): 1) Subscribe to me as an author, although I do post works in other fandoms as well, 2) Follow me on Tumblr (Konekat), although please keep in mind that my blog is NSFW, or 3) Just keep an eye out here on FFN for my future fics ^^

Next up is the Flour Reveal fic, and the Future AU is on deck for after that. The other three that I mentioned will all follow sometime after. (As well as a possible story with a genderbent Chat, which is something I've been wanting to do literally since the first minute I saw the show. I also got a request for a genderbent Marinette, which may turn into a drabble of some sort. AND I had an idea for a quick oneshot based on Alessia Clare's "Here.") The only story idea I've had that I'm _not_ planning to write as of now is Chat dying. Because seriously, I question whether I actually _could_ T^T

Finally, and most importantly, again: thank you all _so much_. It's been a crazy fun ride. I'm going to be grinning for weeks thanks to all of you. I hope I was able to make you guys smile and squeal excitedly half as much as y'all made me ^^


End file.
